---
id: CVE-2026-86731
title: >-
  Craft CMS versions 5.0.0-RC1 through 5.10.11 are missing an admin-target guard
  in UsersController::actionActivateUser (the users/activate-user action)
summary: >-
  Craft CMS versions 5.0.0-RC1 through 5.10.11 are missing an admin-target guard
  in UsersController::actionActivateUser (the users/activate-user action). While
  the action requires the administrateUsers permission, it does not call
  requireA…
severity: medium
cvss: 6.5
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N'
cwe:
  - CWE-862
vendor: craftcms
product: cms
affected:
  - cms >= 5.0.0-RC1 < 5.10.12
published: '2026-09-08'
updated: '2026-09-19'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-19T15:17:06.890'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86731'
references:
  - url: 'https://github.com/craftcms/cms/security/advisories/GHSA-jqf5-vfg6-8cx5'
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: >-
      https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/craft-cms-5.0.0-rc1-before-5.10.12-permission-escalation-via-userscontroller
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00311
epssPercentile: 0.21411
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-09-18T17:43:43.578474Z'
ingestedAt: '2026-09-08T15:33:26.987Z'
---

## Overview

Craft CMS versions 5.0.0-RC1 through 5.10.11 are missing an admin-target guard in UsersController::actionActivateUser (the users/activate-user action). While the action requires the administrateUsers permission, it does not call requireAdmin() when the targeted user is an administrator, unlike the mirror action actionDeactivateUser. As a result, an authenticated control panel user who is not an administrator but holds the administrateUsers permission can activate a pending or deliberately deactivated administrator account, which can lead to permission escalation when combined with resetting that account's password. The issue is fixed in Craft CMS 5.10.12.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.