# CVE-2026-102490: Zammad privilege escalation to root

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-102490-all-versions-of-zammad-including-the-latest-alpha-enable-the  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-30. Updated: 2026-09-30  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-102490 · Severity: critical · Exploited in the wild · Published 2026-09-30

Zammad, an open-source customer service ticketing system, contains a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows the local zammad user to gain root access. An attacker with access to the zammad user account on a server can execute arbitrary commands with full system privileges, potentially compromising the entire server and all data it contains.

Technologies: [Zammad](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/zammad). Vendors: [Zammad](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/zammad).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-102490 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2026-102490 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 2 October 2026. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2026-102490?** Critical severity, published 30 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Zammad all versions including latest alpha.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-102490?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-102490 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-102490?** Check whether you run Zammad or Zammad Gmbh Zammad at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

This privilege escalation vulnerability affects all versions of Zammad and enables the unprivileged zammad service user to escalate privileges to root. The vulnerability requires local access to a zammad user account. Successful exploitation grants an attacker root-level access to the system, allowing full compromise of the server and all application data.

## Affected products

- Zammad Zammad all versions including latest alpha

## Timeline

- 2026-09-30: disclosed

## References

- [https://csirt.divd.nl/CVE-2026-102490](https://csirt.divd.nl/CVE-2026-102490)
- [https://csirt.divd.nl/DIVD-2026-00015](https://csirt.divd.nl/DIVD-2026-00015)

## Related threats

- [Zammad stored cross-site scripting in ticket article rendering](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-102345-zammad-is-a-web-based-open-source-helpdesk-customer-support)
- [Zammad session hijack leading to remote code execution](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-102489-zammad-versions-6-3-0-to-6-5-4-are-vulnerable-a-session-hijack)
- [Zammad S/MIME signature verification bypass allows sender impersonation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84465-zammad-is-a-web-based-open-source-helpdesk-customer-support)
- [Zammad unauthorized data access in External Data Source](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84464-zammad-is-a-web-based-open-source-helpdesk-customer-support)
- [Zammad HTML injection in Knowledge Base video widget](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-84463-zammad-is-a-web-based-open-source-helpdesk-customer-support)