Kestra: Unauthenticated RCE via /configs path-suffix auth-filter bypass
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass, Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-288 and CWE-94.
Summary
Kestra is an open-source, event-driven orchestration platform. Prior to 1.0.45 and 1.3.21, the authentication filter for the REST API (@Filter("/api/v1/**")) treats any request whose path ends in /configs as the public instance-config endpoint and forwards it without a credential check. kestra addresses its resources by URL path segments that the caller chooses (/api/v1/{tenant}/flows/{namespace}, /api/v1/{tenant}/executions/{namespace}/{id}, /api/v1/{tenant}/namespaces/{namespace}/kv/{key}). An anonymous caller picks the literal configs as the final segment, and the request bypasses Basic-Auth entirely. Because the bypass reaches the flow-create and execution-trigger routes, an unauthenticated caller creates a flow containing a Shell or Process task and runs it. The task executes as root inside the kestra container. The official docker-compose.yml mounts /var/run/docker.sock, so root in the container reaches the host Docker daemon. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.0.45 and 1.3.21.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA kestra (kestra-io) Fixed in 1.0.45, 1.3.21
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-53576
References
More Kestra vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-36769 Kestra: Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via Authentication Bypass in `AuthenticationFilter` KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2026-28138 Kestra v1.3.3 and before is vulnerable to SQL Injection. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-26858 Kestra: Remote Code Execution via SQL Injection CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2026-39775 Kestra BasicAuth Password Stored as SHA-512 Enables Offline Brute-Force Attack CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-36817 Information disclosure in kestra CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.7
- TI-2026-33542 Kestra: Path traversal via URL-encoded "%2E%2E" in execution and namespace file endpoints allows arbitrary file read CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.7
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences