CVE-2026-33540
Description
A flaw was found in Distribution, a toolkit for managing container content. When operating in pull-through cache mode, Distribution incorrectly processes authentication challenges from an upstream registry. An attacker controlling the upstream registry, or positioned as a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM), can exploit this by providing a malicious authentication realm URL. This vulnerability can cause Distribution to send sensitive upstream credentials, via basic authentication, to an attacker-controlled server, leading to information disclosure.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, ensure that all upstream registries configured for Distribution in pull-through cache mode are trusted and secured. Implement network segmentation and firewall rules to restrict outbound connections from the Distribution instance to only known and trusted upstream registry endpoints. This reduces the risk of an attacker-controlled upstream or a Man-in-the-Middle attack redirecting authentication.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 3.1 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | Low | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Application Data
Integrity
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Access Control
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
By providing URLs to unexpected hosts or ports, attackers can make it appear that the server is sending the request, possibly bypassing access controls such as firewalls that prevent the attackers from accessing the URLs directly. The server can be used as a proxy to conduct port scanning of hosts in internal networks, use other URLs such as that can access documents on the system (using file://), or use other protocols such as gopher:// or tftp://, which may provide greater control over the contents of requests.
Frequently Asked Questions
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