# CVE-2026-45043: RustFS privilege escalation in ImportIAM endpoint

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-45043-rustfs-privilege-escalation-in-importiam-endpoint  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-29. Updated: 2026-05-29  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-45043 · Severity: info · CVSS 9.3 · Published 2026-05-29

RustFS, a distributed storage system, contains a security flaw in its administrative identity management component. An attacker with limited permissions can bypass security boundaries to create new service accounts with full administrative 'root' privileges. This allows a low-privileged user to gain total control over the storage system, including the ability to access all customer data, modify security settings, and create permanent backdoors.

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-45043 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-45043 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-45043?** Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 9.3, published 29 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** RustFS RustFS < 1.0.0-beta.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-45043?** 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-2026-45043 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-45043?** Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. 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

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the RustFS `import-iam` endpoint due to improper validation of service account definitions provided in ZIP-supplied JSON payloads. The `ImportIam` handler in `rustfs/src/admin/handlers/user.rs` fails to validate the `parent` field, allowing an attacker to associate new service accounts with the root user (`minioadmin`). Additionally, the endpoint does not sanitize `claims` or enforce privilege boundaries on `accessKey` and `secretKey` values. An attacker with `ImportIAMAction` privileges can exploit this to provision persistent credentials with `consoleAdmin` policies, effectively gaining full administrative control. This bypasses the security checks present in the standard `AddServiceAccount` flow. The issue is resolved in version 1.0.0-beta.2.

## Affected products

- RustFS RustFS < 1.0.0-beta.2

## Timeline

- 2026-05-09: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-05-29: disclosed: CVE published to NVD

## References

- [https://github.com/rustfs/rustfs/security/advisories/GHSA-566f-q62r-wcr8](https://github.com/rustfs/rustfs/security/advisories/GHSA-566f-q62r-wcr8)