CVE-2026-26016: Pterodactyl/panel Pterodactyl Panel Allows Cross-Node Server Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g7vw-f8p5-c728
CWE-639 CWE-283
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-26016 is a CRITICAL pterodactyl panel allows cross-node server vulnerability (CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) affecting Pterodactyl/panel libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves pterodactyl panel allows cross-node server configuration disclosure via remote api missing authorization. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.12.1.

CVE-2026-26016 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-26016
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g7vw-f8p5-c728
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
Affected Product Pterodactyl/panel
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-26016

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pterodactyl/panel dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

pterodactyl/panel fixed: 1.12.1
Upgrade pterodactyl/panel to 1.12.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

inspect dependencies for pterodactyl/panel

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-26016, inspect your project dependencies for Pterodactyl/panel:

inspect dependencies for pterodactyl/panel

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pterodactyl/panel in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.12.1), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key, where the system's authorization functionality does not prevent one user from gaining access to another user's data or record by modifying the key value identifying the data. In Pterodactyl/panel, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Summary A missing authorization check in multiple controllers allows any user with access to a node secret token to fetch information about any server on a Pterodactyl instance, even if that server is associated with a different node. This issue stems from missing logic to verify that the node requesting server data is the same node that the server is associated with. Any authenticated Wings node can retrieve server installation scripts (potentially containing secret values) and manipulate the installation status of servers belonging to other nodes. Wings nodes may also manipulate the transfer status of servers belonging to other nodes. _This vulnerability requires a user to acquire a secret access token for a node. We rated this issue based on potential worst outcome. Unless a user gains access to a Wings secret access token they would not be able to access any of these vulnerable endpoints, as every endpoint requires a valid node access token._ ### Details 1. The Remote API endpoint `GET /api/remote/servers/{uuid}` fetches a server by UUID and returns its complete configuration without verifying that the requesting node owns the server. 2. Both failure() and success() methods in `ServerTransferController` fetch servers by UUID without verifying node ownership. 3. Missing authorization checks in `ServerInstallController` allow any authenticated Wings node to retrieve egg installation scripts (containing deployment secrets) and manipulate the installation status of servers belonging to other nodes. ### Impact A single compromised Wings node daemon token (stored in plaintext at `/etc/pterodactyl/config.yml`) grants access to sensitive configuration data of every server on the panel, rather than only to servers that the node has access to. An attacker can use this information to move laterally through the system, send excessive notifications, destroy server data on other nodes, and otherwise exfiltrate secrets that they should not have access to with only a node token. Additionally, triggering a false transfer success causes the panel to delete the server from the source node, resulting in permanent data loss.

CVE-2026-26016 Affected Pterodactyl/panel Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.12.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
pterodactyl/panel
Packagist
< 1.12.1
1.12.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-26016?
CVE-2026-26016 is a security vulnerability in Pterodactyl/panel involving Pterodactyl Panel Allows Cross-Node Server Configuration Disclosure via Remote API Missing Authorization under CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key.
Which Pterodactyl/panel versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.12.1 across affected packages: pterodactyl/panel.
What version fixes CVE-2026-26016?
Upgrading to 1.12.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pterodactyl/panel affected?
Yes, pterodactyl/panel is affected in releases prior to 1.12.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.12.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-26016?
CVE-2026-26016 is classified under CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (The system's authorization functionality does not prevent one user from gaining access to another user's data or record by modifying the key value identifying the data.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2026-26016?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for pterodactyl/panel'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-g7vw-f8p5-c728",
  "modified" : "2026-02-19T21:30:28Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-17T18:54:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-26016" ],
  "summary" : "Pterodactyl Panel Allows Cross-Node Server Configuration Disclosure via Remote API Missing Authorization",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nA missing authorization check in multiple controllers allows any user with access to a node secret token to fetch information about any server on a Pterodactyl instance, even if that server is associated with a different node. This issue stems from missing logic to verify that the node requesting server data is the same node that the server is associated with.\n\nAny authenticated Wings node can retrieve server installation scripts (potentially containing secret values) and manipulate the installation status of servers belonging to other nodes. Wings nodes may also manipulate the transfer status of servers belonging to other nodes.\n\n_This vulnerability requires a user to acquire a secret access token for a node. We rated this issue based on potential worst outcome. Unless a user gains access to a Wings secret access token they would not be able to access any of these vulnerable endpoints, as every endpoint requires a valid node access token._\n\n### Details\n1. The Remote API endpoint `GET /api/remote/servers/{uuid}` fetches a server by UUID and returns its complete configuration without verifying that the requesting node owns the server.\n2. Both failure() and success() methods in `ServerTransferController` fetch servers by UUID without verifying node ownership.\n3. Missing authorization checks in `ServerInstallController` allow any authenticated Wings node to retrieve egg installation scripts (containing deployment secrets) and manipulate the installation status of servers belonging to other nodes.\n\n### Impact\nA single compromised Wings node daemon token (stored in plaintext at `/etc/pterodactyl/config.yml`) grants access to sensitive configuration data of every server on the panel, rather than only to servers that the node has access to. An attacker can use this information to move laterally through the system, send excessive notifications, destroy server data on other nodes, and otherwise exfiltrate secrets that they should not have access to with only a node token.\n\nAdditionally, triggering a false transfer success causes the panel to delete the server from the source node, resulting in permanent data loss.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:L/SA:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "pterodactyl/panel"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.12.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pterodactyl/panel/security/advisories/GHSA-g7vw-f8p5-c728"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-26016"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pterodactyl/panel"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pterodactyl/panel/releases/tag/v1.12.1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-283", "CWE-639" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-17T18:54:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-02-19T17:24:50Z"
  }
}