# CVE-2026-54261: Wagtail improper permission handling in image preview

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-54261-wagtail-improper-permission-handling-in-image-preview  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-01. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-54261 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2026-07-01

Wagtail is a popular Django-based content management system. Due to a missing permission check in the image preview feature, admin users can view preview versions of any image in the system, potentially seeing content they shouldn't have access to. While the image file metadata itself isn't exposed, this represents an unauthorized information disclosure that could compromise content confidentiality. The vulnerability requires existing admin panel access, so it primarily affects organizations with multiple content editors at different permission levels.

Technologies: [wagtail (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/pypi-wagtail), [Wagtail](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/wagtail). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi), [Wagtail](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/wagtail).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-54261 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-54261 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-54261?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 1 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** wagtail (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=7.0.8, ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=7.0.8,introduced=7.1,fixed=7.3.3,introduced=7.4,fixed=7.4.2; Wagtail < 7.0.8, >= 7.1 and < 7.3.3, >= 7.4 and < 7.4.2, < 7.0.8, 7.1.0 - 7.3.2, 7.4.0 - 7.4.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-54261?** Yes. wagtail (PyPI): upgrade to 7.0.8, 7.4.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-54261 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-54261?** Check whether you run wagtail (PyPI) or Wagtail 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.

## How to fix

- wagtail (PyPI): upgrade to 7.0.8, 7.4.2 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "wagtail>=7.4.2"
  ```


## Technical details

This is an improper access control vulnerability (CWE-280) in Wagtail's image preview endpoint. The image preview view fails to validate whether the requesting user has permission to access the specific image before serving the preview. An authenticated user with access to the Wagtail admin panel can directly request image previews for any image by ID and filter specification, bypassing per-instance permission policies. The attack vector is network-based and requires low privileges (Wagtail admin user), with no user interaction needed. The impact is limited to image content disclosure (high confidentiality impact) with no integrity or availability impact. Patches are available in Wagtail 7.0.8, 7.3.3, and 7.4.2; workarounds involve adding an explicit permission check wrapper to the preview URL pattern.

## Affected products

- Wagtail Wagtail < 7.0.8, >= 7.1 and < 7.3.3, >= 7.4 and < 7.4.2

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-54261
- GHSA-r6p4-grq7-xm4m
- PYSEC-2026-614

## Timeline

- 2026-06-15: disclosed
- 2026-06-15: patched: Patches released for versions 7.0.8, 7.3.3, and 7.4.2
- 2026-08-20: advisory

## References

- [https://api.github.com/users/zerolab](https://api.github.com/users/zerolab)
- [https://github.com/zerolab](https://github.com/zerolab)
- [https://api.github.com/users/zerolab/gists%7B/gist_id%7D](https://api.github.com/users/zerolab/gists%7B/gist_id%7D)
- [https://api.github.com/users/zerolab/repos](https://api.github.com/users/zerolab/repos)
- [https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/31622?v=4](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/31622?v=4)
- [https://api.github.com/users/zerolab/events%7B/privacy%7D](https://api.github.com/users/zerolab/events%7B/privacy%7D)

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