# CVE-2026-86544: Knowns authorization bypass via code.replace mutation

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-86544-knowns-authorization-bypass-via-code-replace-mutation  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-07. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-86544 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.1 · Published 2026-09-07

Knowns is an AI project management system with permission controls to restrict user capabilities. A vulnerability in versions before 0.30.0 allows users granted read-only access to exploit the code.replace action to modify permission configurations and escalate their privileges to write or admin capabilities. An attacker with limited read-only access could gain unauthorized control over the system.

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-86544 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-86544 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-86544?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.1, published 7 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Knowns Knowns before 0.30.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-86544?** 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-2026-86544 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-86544?** 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

The vulnerability is an authorization bypass in the permissions guard middleware. Mutating code actions, specifically code.replace, are incorrectly classified as read-only (CapRead) instead of write (CapWrite) operations in the ActionRegistry. Attackers with read-restricted sessions can call code.replace to modify permission configurations, then escalate privileges on subsequent actions. The issue is in the ActionMeta classification logic in internal/permissions/registry.go. Fix: upgrade to version 0.30.0 or later, which reclassifies code.replace as a write capability and implements stricter validation of permission-modifying operations.

## Affected products

- Knowns Knowns before 0.30.0

## Timeline

- 2026-09-07: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/blob/v0.29.1/internal/permissions/guard.go](https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/blob/v0.29.1/internal/permissions/guard.go)
- [https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/blob/v0.29.1/internal/permissions/registry.go](https://github.com/knowns-dev/knowns/blob/v0.29.1/internal/permissions/registry.go)