Executive brief
Pterodactyl is an open-source management platform used to run and control game servers. A security flaw in how the system validates digital access keys allows users with very limited permissions (such as just viewing a server console) to bypass restrictions and upload unauthorized files to the server. This could allow a malicious user to modify server configurations or disrupt operations, though it requires the attacker to already have at least basic subuser access to the specific server.
Technical details
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Pterodactyl Wings '/upload/file' endpoint due to insufficient validation of panel-signed JSON Web Tokens (JWTs). The endpoint accepted any valid JWT containing 'server_uuid', 'user_uuid', and 'unique_id' claims without verifying the token's intended purpose (scope). Because the Panel issues JWTs with identical claims for low-privilege tasks like WebSocket console connections or file downloads, an authenticated subuser can capture a low-privilege token and replay it against the upload endpoint to bypass 'file.create' permission requirements. This allows arbitrary file writes within the server's directory. The fix introduces mandatory 'JwtScope' claims to ensure tokens are only used for their designated actions.
Affected products
- Pterodactyl Panel < 1.12.3
- Pterodactyl Wings < 1.12.2
Timeline
- 2026-05-23: patched: Fixes committed to Panel and Wings repositories.
- 2026-06-06: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-8r6w-3qq5-4p4r published.
- 2026-07-28: disclosed: CVE-2026-54593 published to NVD.