CVE-2026-14261
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the Xerte Online Tools allows for authentication bypass and remote code execution via reinstallation through the /setup/ folder, enabling attackers to reinstall the service to a remote database they control.
In the news
Third-party coverageSurfaced from public web coverage — external links open in a new tab.
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 · high confidenceXerte Online Tools contains a critical vulnerability where the /setup/ folder allows unauthenticated reinstallation of the application. Attackers can exploit this to bypass authentication and achieve remote code execution by directing the reinstallation process to a database under their control, potentially allowing arbitrary command execution on the server.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Xerte Online Tools installationLocate the Xerte installation directory on the web server (commonly in the web root, often under /xerte or as the root directory). Identify the presence of the main Xerte PHP files such as index.php, login.php, or the modules directory.Affected if Xerte Online Tools is installed on the server and the /setup/ folder is present.
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Verify /setup/ folder exists and is web-accessibleAttempt to access http(s)://<your-server>/setup/ via a web request, or inspect the web server document root for the presence of a 'setup' directory containing installation PHP files.Affected if The /setup/ folder exists and returns a response (not a 403 or 404), indicating it is accessible over the web.
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Check for installation lockfileIn the Xerte installation directory, look for a lockfile that prevents reinstallation. Common locations include a file named install_lock, lock, .lock, or a configuration flag in a config file indicating setup is complete.Affected if No lockfile exists or the lockfile is missing, allowing the setup process to run again.
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Review web server access controls for /setup/Examine web server configuration files (Apache .htaccess, Nginx config, IIS web.config) for rules that restrict or block access to the /setup/ directory.Affected if No web server rules exist to block or restrict access to /setup/, leaving it publicly accessible.
If Xerte Online Tools is installed, the /setup/ folder is web-accessible, no lockfile prevents reinstallation, and web server access controls do not restrict /setup/, then the environment is vulnerable to unauthenticated reinstallation and potential remote code execution.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataImmediately restrict or disable access to the /setup/ folder via web server configuration (e.g., .htaccess rules or web server access controls), remove the setup directory from production deployments, and ensure a lockfile exists to prevent reinstallation after initial setup.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-14261 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-14261 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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