MongoDB Privilege Escalation: System Collection Access Abuse
CVE-2026-18698 Published on August 11, 2026
Improper Authorization in MongoDB Server Allows Unauthorized Actions on System Collections via the validate Command
An issue in MongoDB Server could allow an authenticated user with a limited database-scoped role to perform an action against protected system collections that should require more specific privileges. This could result in exposure of collection metadata and, on certain deployment configurations, unauthorized modification of system collection data.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-18698 is exploitable with network access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity and availability.
Weakness Type
What is an AuthZ Vulnerability?
The software performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. This allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions.
CVE-2026-18698 has been classified to as an AuthZ vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-18698
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Affected Versions
MongoDB Server:- Version 8.3.0 and below 8.3.8 is affected.
- Version 8.0 and below 8.0.29 is affected.
- Version 7.0 and below 7.0.40 is affected.