The Rapid7 Metasploit msf-ws suffers from a missing authentication vulnerability whereby the REST API grants an unauthenticated "bootstrap" exemption so that the very first administrator can be created when the users table is empty. While the table is empty, POST /api/v1/users is exempt from authentication by design: the route handler calls warden.authenticate!(scope: :admin_api), which resolves to AdminApiToken. The inherited ApiToken#authenticate! short-circuits and returns success!() whenever msf.auth_initialized is false, without ever evaluating AdminApiToken's administrator check. In that state the endpoint creates a user — including an administrator — for an entirely unauthenticated caller.
This issue has been fixed in version 6.5.9.
This issue has been fixed in version 6.5.9.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid7 | Metasploit Framework | unaffected |
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Fixes
Solution
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Workaround
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References
| Link | Providers |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/pull/22039 |
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History
Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | The Rapid7 Metasploit msf-ws suffers from a missing authentication vulnerability whereby the REST API grants an unauthenticated "bootstrap" exemption so that the very first administrator can be created when the users table is empty. While the table is empty, POST /api/v1/users is exempt from authentication by design: the route handler calls warden.authenticate!(scope: :admin_api), which resolves to AdminApiToken. The inherited ApiToken#authenticate! short-circuits and returns success!() whenever msf.auth_initialized is false, without ever evaluating AdminApiToken's administrator check. In that state the endpoint creates a user — including an administrator — for an entirely unauthenticated caller. This issue has been fixed in version 6.5.9. | |
| Title | Rapid7 Metasploit Framework Web Service unauthenticated bootstrap window allows creation of an administrator account without authentication | |
| Weaknesses | CWE-306 | |
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
cvssV4_0
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Projects
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: rapid7
Published:
Updated: 2026-11-05T15:25:27.727Z
Reserved: 2026-11-03T09:50:59.943Z
Link: CVE-2026-121139
Vulnrichment
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NVD
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Redhat
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OpenCVE Enrichment
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Weaknesses