dbcve.org
Mattermost ServerApplication · Mattermost

CVE-2024-31859

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.1.13 / 9.5.4 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Mattermost versions 9.5.x <= 9.5.3, 9.6.x <= 9.6.1 and 8.1.x <= 8.1.12 fail to perform proper authorization checks which allows a member running a playbook in an existing channel to be promoted to a channel admin

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

This is an authorization bypass vulnerability in Mattermost where the system fails to validate permissions before allowing role changes. A standard channel member who runs a playbook in an existing channel can be improperly elevated to channel admin status, granting them administrative privileges they should not have.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches for affected versions (9.5.x, 9.6.x, 8.1.x) or upgrade to patched releases. Implement proper authorization validation in the playbook execution path to ensure only users with appropriate permissions can modify channel roles.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Mattermost ServerApplication
Affected:>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.13>= 9.5.0, < 9.5.4>= 9.6.0, < 9.6.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Mattermost Server version
    Access the Mattermost System Console or run the CLI command: mmctl version or check the /opt/mattermost/version file. Also accessible via API: GET /api/v4/system/version
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 8.1.0 and < 8.1.13, OR >= 9.5.0 and < 9.5.4, OR >= 9.6.0 and < 9.6.2
  2. Verify if Playbooks plugin is enabled
    Navigate to System Console > Plugins > Plugin Management, or query the API: GET /api/v4/plugins. Look for 'playbooks' in the list of installed and enabled plugins.
    Affected if The Playbooks plugin is installed and enabled on the server
  3. Review audit logs for role change events
    Check Mattermost audit logs (System Console > Audit Logs) for entries containing 'channel_role_updated' or similar permission change events initiated by non-admin users, particularly around playbook execution timestamps.
    Affected if There are audit log entries showing channel role modifications performed by standard channel members who should not have such permissions
  4. Inspect channel member role assignments
    Query the API: GET /api/v4/channels/{channel_id}/members to list channel members and their roles. Look for members with 'channel_admin' role in channels where they were not explicitly granted admin rights by an administrator.
    Affected if Standard users possess channel_admin role without documented admin-level authorization

You are affected if you run a vulnerable Mattermost Server version AND have the Playbooks plugin enabled, with evidence of unauthorized role escalation in audit logs or channel membership records.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.1.13 / 9.5.4 / 9.6.2 or later
Fixed in 8.1.139.5.49.6.2
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches for affected versions (9.5.x, 9.6.x, 8.1.x) or upgrade to patched releases. Implement proper authorization validation in the playbook execution path to ensure only users with appropriate permissions can modify channel roles.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.1.13, 9.5.4, or 9.6.2 depending on your current version branch

  1. 1. Identify the current Mattermost Server version by checking the system console or using the CLI tools
  2. 2. Determine which version branch you're currently running (8.1.x, 9.5.x, or 9.6.x)
  3. 3. For 8.1.x branches: upgrade to version 8.1.13 or later
  4. 4. For 9.5.x branches: upgrade to version 9.5.4 or later
  5. 5. For 9.6.x branches: upgrade to version 9.6.2 or later
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify that playbook runs in channels no longer result in unintended privilege escalation

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Mattermost Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-31859 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-31859 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data