CVE-2026-45688
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 · uneditedRocket.Chat is an open-source, secure, fully customizable communications platform. Prior to 8.5.0, 8.4.1, 8.3.3, 8.2.3, 8.1.4, 8.0.5, 7.13.7, and 7.10.11, Rocket.Chat's CAS login handler forwards the client-supplied options.cas.credentialToken value straight into a MongoDB findOne({_id: ...}) query without any runtime type check. TypeScript's string parameter annotation is erased at runtime, so an unauthenticated attacker can substitute a MongoDB query operator ({"$gt": ""}, {"$ne": null}, etc.) for what the server expects to be an opaque ticket string. The injected operator matches the first unexpired document in the credential_tokens collection, bypassing the CAS ticket check entirely. When any legitimate CAS or SAML SSO login is in flight, the attacker's next DDP login call matches the same credential-token row via the NoSQL operator and is issued a full Meteor auth token (userId + token) bound to the victim. The token is immediately usable against the complete REST and DDP surface as that user. If the victim is an administrator, this escalates to full instance compromise via Apps-Engine app install. This vulnerability is fixed in 8.5.0, 8.4.1, 8.3.3, 8.2.3, 8.1.4, 8.0.5, 7.13.7, and 7.10.11.
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 confidenceA NoSQL injection vulnerability in Rocket.Chat's CAS login handler allows unauthenticated attackers to inject MongoDB operators (e.g., {$gt: ''}, {$ne: null}) into the credentialToken parameter, which is directly passed to a MongoDB findOne() query without runtime type validation. This enables attackers to match any unexpired credential token document, obtain a valid Meteor authentication token bound to a victim user (especially administrators), and gain full access to the instance via REST/DDP.
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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Identify installed Rocket.Chat versionRun `rocketchatctl version` or check the About section in the Rocket.Chat admin panel. Alternatively, inspect the version field in the package.json file located in the Rocket.Chat installation directory.Affected if The installed version is earlier than 7.10.11, 7.13.7, 8.0.5, 8.1.4, 8.2.3, 8.3.3, 8.4.1, or 8.5.0 (any version before these patched releases)
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Verify if CAS authentication is enabledNavigate to the Rocket.Chat admin panel, go to Administration > Settings > CAS (or examine the CAS configuration file in the Rocket.Chat deployment). Check for an active CAS integration configuration.Affected if CAS authentication is enabled and configured in the Rocket.Chat instance
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Confirm CAS credentialToken parameter handlingInspect the server-side CAS login handler code or API endpoint that processes the credentialToken. Look for direct usage of this parameter in a MongoDB findOne() or similar query without runtime type validation or operator sanitization.Affected if The credentialToken parameter is passed directly to a MongoDB query without sanitization against MongoDB operator injection
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Review CAS login logs for anomalous requestsExamine Rocket.Chat server logs (typically in /var/log/rocketchat or the container logs) for CAS login attempts containing special characters like $, {, }, or : in the credentialToken parameter, which could indicate injection testing.Affected if Log entries show CAS login requests with MongoDB operator patterns (e.g., {$gt: ''}, {$ne: null}) in the credentialToken field
Your environment is affected if Rocket.Chat is running a version earlier than the patched releases AND CAS authentication is enabled, allowing unauthenticated injection of MongoDB operators into the credentialToken parameter.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade Rocket.Chat to version 8.5.0, 8.4.1, 8.3.3, 8.2.3, 8.1.4, 8.0.5, 7.13.7, or 7.10.11. If immediate upgrade is not possible, disable CAS authentication as a temporary measure.
Upgrade to Rocket.Chat 8.5.0 (or latest 8.x stable), or minimum 7.10.11 for 7.x branches
- Identify the currently running Rocket.Chat version using the admin UI or API
- Determine which release branch (7.x or 8.x) is currently in use
- For 7.x branches: upgrade to the latest patch version of 7.13.7+ (e.g., 7.13.7 or later if available), or at minimum 7.10.11
- For 8.x branches: upgrade to the latest patch version of the current minor (e.g., if on 8.0.x, upgrade to 8.0.5+; if on 8.1.x, upgrade to 8.1.4+; etc.)
- Prefer upgrading to the latest stable 8.x release (8.5.0 or later) for the most complete fix
- Review Rocket.Chat upgrade documentation for your deployment type (snap, Docker, npm, etc.)
- Create a backup of the MongoDB database before upgrading
- Test the upgrade in a staging environment before deploying to production
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-45688 — 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-2026-45688 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data