# CVE-2026-120442: ape-volo-admin before 3.6.1 Hardcoded JWT Signing Key Authentication Bypass

Status: published. Published: 2026-11-02. Updated: 2026-11-02.

ape-volo-admin before 3.6.1 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers to forge administrator tokens using a hardcoded JWT signing key in appsettings.json. Attackers can sign tokens offline with the jti claim set to the seeded administrator id to gain full API control over users, roles, permissions and data.

## Remediation

No remediation reported in collected sources

## Affected products and versions

- xianhc / ape-volo-admin: ≥ 0; < 3.6.1 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: VulnCheck

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 4.0: 9.3 (critical); CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N; source: CNA: VulnCheck

- CVSS 3.1: 9.8 (critical); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H; source: CNA: VulnCheck

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: Not available

- SSVC: Not available

- Weaknesses: CWE-1394

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://github.com/xianhc/ape-volo-admin/issues/36 (CNA: VulnCheck; issue-tracking)

- https://github.com/xianhc/ape-volo-admin/commit/938f7ec58047f0c63123dc155d6a033910f00933 (CNA: VulnCheck; patch)

- https://github.com/xianhc/ape-volo-admin/releases/tag/V3.6.1 (CNA: VulnCheck; release-notes)

- https://github.com/xianhc/ape-volo-admin/blob/V3.5.2/Ape.Volo.Api/appsettings.json#L4-L10 (CNA: VulnCheck; technical-description)

- https://github.com/xianhc/ape-volo-admin/blob/V3.5.2/Ape.Volo.Infrastructure/Extensions/AuthorizationExtensions.cs#L50-L60 (CNA: VulnCheck; technical-description)

- https://github.com/xianhc/ape-volo-admin/blob/V3.5.2/Ape.Volo.Infrastructure/Authentication/PermissionHandler.cs#L130-L172 (CNA: VulnCheck; technical-description)

- https://hackmd.io/@hieuPenguinnn/ape-volo-admin-hardcoded-jwt-secret-admin-token-forgery (CNA: VulnCheck; technical-description)

- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ape-volo-admin-before-3.6.1-hardcoded-jwt-signing-key-authentication-bypass (CNA: VulnCheck; third-party-advisory)

## Provenance

- CNA: VulnCheck: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-120442; retrieved 2026-11-02; source updated 2026-11-02

Revision: 9e4fef693caf1a1d5e465f1c32171e30c80f3ce18ed1f0f1289ef57517b1e0f5

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-120442

## Agent and API access

Public CVE pages, Markdown, and JSON are free to read without an account or API key.

- Public catalog: https://y2.dev/cve/index.json. Follow nextCursor with the same search and limit (1–100). A null cursor marks the end.

- WebMCP: search_cve_disclosures, get_cve_disclosure, get_cve_page_markdown, get_y2_cve_access. Available in compatible browsers.

- Cyber API: https://api.y2.dev/api/v2/cyber/cves and https://api.y2.dev/api/v2/cyber/cves/{cveId}.

- Y2 Pro or Elite: create a workspace API key with the intel:cyber scope and send Authorization: Bearer <Y2_API_KEY>. Setup: https://y2.dev/docs/api/create-key.

- x402: Pay per request without an account or API key. Omit Authorization, read the HTTP 402 PAYMENT-REQUIRED challenge, validate its current requirements, and retry with PAYMENT-SIGNATURE through an authorized payment client. These browser tools never make payments. Guide: https://y2.dev/docs/api/x402.

- OpenAPI: https://y2.dev/api/openapi.yaml. Agent access metadata: https://y2.dev/cve/agent.json.

Collected public records only. Check source status for coverage and freshness.