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critical advisory

NextScan: Authentication bypass in ns-admin (CVE-2026-126797)

NextScan versions 1.1.0 through 1.2.0 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability via a hardcoded JWT signing key, allowing unauthenticated attackers to forge administrative tokens.

CVE search metadata

CVE search record: CVE-2026-126797. Severity: critical. CVSS: 9.8. KEV: no. Product: NextScan (1.1.0 through 1.2.0). Brief: NextScan: Authentication bypass in ns-admin (CVE-2026-126797). Brief link: https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2026-11-nextscan-auth-bypass-cve-2026-126797/

Triage facts

Revision 1
Applicability
NextScan (1.1.0 through 1.2.0)
Evidence
Unknown
Severity
Critical
Action
Immediate escalation
Sources
1 public source
Freshness
Revision 1Nov 11, 22:07 UTC
Vulnerabilities
1 CVE
Source quality
A1Very likely

NextScan versions 1.1.0 through 1.2.0 are vulnerable to an authentication bypass in the ns-admin component. The vulnerability arises from the use of a hardcoded JWT signing key, which allows an unauthenticated attacker to forge HS256-signed X-Access-Token values. By embedding the public super administrator role ID in the forged token, an attacker can gain full access to user management, scan tasks, and sensitive vulnerability data stored within the system.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an unauthenticated attacker to bypass authentication, assume super administrator privileges, and gain unauthorized access to all administrative functions and data managed by the NextScan instance.

Recommendation

Inventory all instances of NextScan within your environment. Currently, no patch information is available; restrict network access to the management interface (ns-admin) to trusted IP ranges only until the vendor provides a remediation or update.


Immediate actions

Restrict network access to the NextScan management interface (ns-admin) to authorized IP ranges.

IT Operations 24h

Threat Hunt

Monitor access logs for requests to the ns-admin component using anomalous or unexpected token signatures, or elevated administrative activity from unauthenticated or unknown sessions.

T1185 high medium confidence hunt now

Data: Web server access logs, NextScan application logs

Mitigations

Isolate the NextScan management interface behind a VPN or firewall to prevent unauthenticated access.

immediate IT Operations

CVE-2026-126797