Nautobot: Authorization bypass in approval workflow REST API allows self-approval and unauthorized activation of scheduled jobs
### Impact This is an authorization bypass that escalates into unauthorized server-side job execution. 1. Primary impact - self-approval: The approver checks (approver-group membership, `change` permission on the object under review, one-response-per-user) are enforced only in the `approve`/`deny` actions on `ApprovalWorkflowStage`. The generic `ApprovalWorkflowStageResponse` create endpoint enforces none of them, so a user holding only `extras.add_approvalworkflowstageresponse` can `POST` approved responses directly and drive a stage past its `min_approvers` threshold with no legitimate approver involved. The serializer also exposes `user` and `state` as writable, letting the attacker attribute responses to arbitrary users. 2. Escalated impact job activation: Because the approval workflow gates a `ScheduledJob`, self-approval does not stop at the approval record. Stage approval cascades through `ApprovalWorkflow.save()` to `on_workflow_approved()`, which sets the target job to enabled/active. ### Patches Fixed in Nautobot v3.1.8 ### Workarounds Restrict the `extras.add_approvalworkflowstageresponse` permission so that no untrusted user holds it; approval responses should only ever be created via the stage `approve`/`deny` actions. There is no configuration flag that disables the generic create endpoint prior to the patch.
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-83805US | — | — | ||
Nautobot is a Network Source of Truth and Network Automation Platform. From 3.0.0 until 3.1.8, the generic ApprovalWorkflowStageResponse create endpoint does not enforce approver-g… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-q4c5-2j6f-r476ADVISORY
- https://github.com/nautobot/nautobotPACKAGE
- https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/commit/8682707d0391cbfd7694e3276127b78dc9cf29d8WEB
- https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/releases/tag/v3.1.8WEB
- https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/security/advisories/GHSA-q4c5-2j6f-r476WEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-83805ADVISORY
- https://pypi.org/project/nautobotPACKAGE
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