Oathkeeper - CraftedSignal Threat Feedhttps://feed.craftedsignal.io/products/oathkeeper/Trending threats, MITRE ATT&CK coverage, and detection metadata. Fed continuously.Hugoenhello@craftedsignal.iohello@craftedsignal.ioTue, 23 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000ORY Oathkeeper Authentication Bypass Vulnerability (CVE-2026-33496)https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2024-01-ory-oathkeeper-auth-bypass/Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000hello@craftedsignal.iohttps://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2024-01-ory-oathkeeper-auth-bypass/ORY Oathkeeper before 26.2.0 is vulnerable to authentication bypass (CVE-2026-33496) due to cache key confusion in the `oauth2_introspection` authenticator, allowing attackers with a valid token to bypass authentication by reusing it with different introspection URLs.ORY Oathkeeper, an Identity & Access Proxy, is susceptible to an authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2026-33496) affecting versions prior to 26.2.0. This vulnerability stems from a cache key confusion issue within the oauth2_introspection authenticator. The cache fails to differentiate between tokens validated using different introspection URLs. This allows an attacker, who has legitimately obtained a valid token for one of the configured introspection servers, to prime the cache and subsequently reuse the same token for access rules intended for a different introspection server. The attack requires the Oathkeeper instance to be configured with multiple oauth2_introspection authenticators, all utilizing caching. This poses a significant risk as it enables unauthorized access to protected resources. Version 26.2.0 addresses this issue by incorporating the introspection server URL into the cache key.

Attack Chain

  1. The attacker identifies an ORY Oathkeeper instance running a version prior to 26.2.0 configured with multiple oauth2_introspection authenticators using caching.
  2. The attacker obtains a valid OAuth2 token for one of the configured introspection endpoints, potentially through legitimate means or by compromising a service that issues tokens for that endpoint.
  3. The attacker crafts a request to a protected resource that is governed by an access rule configured to use the compromised token's introspection endpoint. This primes the Oathkeeper's cache with the token's validation result.
  4. The attacker then crafts a second request to a different protected resource that is governed by an access rule configured to use a different introspection endpoint. Critically, this request uses the same token.
  5. Due to the cache key collision, Oathkeeper incorrectly uses the cached validation result from the first introspection endpoint for the second request.
  6. If the token is considered valid based on the cached result (even though it should be invalid for the second introspection endpoint), Oathkeeper grants unauthorized access to the protected resource.
  7. The attacker successfully bypasses authentication and gains access to a resource they should not be authorized to access.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-33496 allows an attacker to bypass authentication and gain unauthorized access to protected resources managed by ORY Oathkeeper. The number of affected organizations depends on the adoption rate of ORY Oathkeeper and the number of instances running vulnerable versions with the specific misconfiguration (multiple oauth2_introspection authenticators with caching enabled). If exploited, this vulnerability can lead to data breaches, unauthorized modification of resources, and other security incidents.

Recommendation

  • Upgrade ORY Oathkeeper to version 26.2.0 or later to incorporate the fix for CVE-2026-33496.
  • As a temporary workaround, disable caching for oauth2_introspection authenticators to mitigate the vulnerability until an upgrade can be performed, as suggested in the advisory.
]]>highadvisoryauthentication-bypassvulnerabilityoathkeepercache-poisoningcloudORY Oathkeeper Authorization Bypass via Path Traversal (CVE-2026-33494)https://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2024-01-ory-oathkeeper-path-traversal/Tue, 02 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000hello@craftedsignal.iohttps://feed.craftedsignal.io/briefs/2024-01-ory-oathkeeper-path-traversal/ORY Oathkeeper versions prior to 26.2.0 are vulnerable to an authorization bypass (CVE-2026-33494) via HTTP path traversal, enabling attackers to access protected resources by crafting URLs with path traversal sequences.ORY Oathkeeper, an Identity & Access Proxy (IAP) and Access Control Decision API, is susceptible to an authorization bypass vulnerability affecting versions prior to 26.2.0. This vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-33494, stems from improper handling of HTTP path traversal sequences. Attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious URLs containing sequences like /public/../admin/secrets. The application normalizes the path, resolving it to a protected resource. However, the authorization check uses the original, un-normalized path, potentially matching it against a permissive rule and granting unauthorized access. Organizations using affected versions of ORY Oathkeeper are at risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data and functionalities. Version 26.2.0 addresses this vulnerability with a patch.

Attack Chain

  1. The attacker identifies an ORY Oathkeeper instance running a version prior to 26.2.0.
  2. The attacker crafts a malicious HTTP request URL containing path traversal sequences, such as /public/../admin/secrets, targeting a protected resource.
  3. The request is sent to the ORY Oathkeeper instance.
  4. ORY Oathkeeper receives the request and normalizes the path, correctly resolving it to /admin/secrets.
  5. However, the authorization check uses the raw, un-normalized path (/public/../admin/secrets) to evaluate access rules.
  6. A permissive rule matching the un-normalized path is found, potentially granting access.
  7. ORY Oathkeeper incorrectly authorizes the request based on the flawed path evaluation.
  8. The attacker gains unauthorized access to the protected resource /admin/secrets, potentially exfiltrating sensitive information or performing unauthorized actions.

Impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2026-33494 allows attackers to bypass intended access controls within ORY Oathkeeper deployments. This can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, configuration settings, and administrative functionalities. Given the role of ORY Oathkeeper in securing HTTP requests, a successful attack can compromise the confidentiality and integrity of protected applications and resources. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 reflects the criticality of this vulnerability.

Recommendation

  • Immediately upgrade ORY Oathkeeper to version 26.2.0 or later to remediate CVE-2026-33494.
  • Deploy the Sigma rule "Detect ORY Oathkeeper Path Traversal Attempts" to identify exploitation attempts in web server logs.
  • Monitor web server logs for HTTP requests containing path traversal sequences (e.g., .., %2e%2e) in the URI, as detected by the Sigma rule "Detect Generic HTTP Path Traversal".
  • Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to block requests with malicious path traversal patterns.
]]>criticaladvisoryCVE-2026-33494ORY Oathkeeperpath traversalauthorization bypass