CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2026-42796 — Workiva Arelle security vulnerability

Critical CVSS 9.8

Arelle before 2.39.10 contains an unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in the /rest/configure REST endpoint that accepts a plugins query parameter and forwards it to the plugin manager without authentication or authorization. Attackers can supply a URL to a malicious Python file through the plugins parameter, causing the Arelle webserver to download and execute the attacker-controlled code within the Arelle process with its privileges.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Published
2026-05-04
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
python/pypi
Weaknesses
CWE-306

Affected products

  • workiva / arelle

Matched remediation archetype

Authentication bypass and missing authentication

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Map every affected endpoint and protocol path, including alternate ports, legacy routes, recovery flows, service accounts, and machine-to-machine access.
  • Confirm which deployments enable the affected authentication mode and whether the interface is reachable from untrusted networks.
  • Review session, token, credential, and proxy trust configuration without attempting account takeover.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the supported fix and centralize fail-closed authentication before protected request handling.
  • Remove default or embedded credentials, rotate affected secrets and sessions, and bind authentication decisions to the intended audience and channel.
  • Add negative tests for alternate routes, malformed or absent credentials, recovery flows, and proxy-derived identity.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

The detailed catalog view below loads this exact record, its source evidence, and the full seven-phase agentic change plan.