CVE-2026-81829
Description
A flaw was found in SmallRye JWT's AwsAlbKeyResolver, which is used by applications to verify JSON Web Tokens signed by AWS Application Load Balancers. When the AWS_ALB key provider is configured, the resolver constructs the key-fetch URL by directly concatenating the attacker-controlled kid header value from an inbound JWT without sanitizing path traversal characters or query-string separators. This allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to force the application server to issue GET requests to arbitrary paths on the same origin as the configured key endpoint. As a result, non-public endpoints or internal data reachable on that origin may be read by the attacker before JWT signature verification takes place.
Statement
The Red Hat Product Security team has assessed the severity of this vulnerability as Moderate, given that it can be remotely triggered without authentication or user interaction but is limited to same-origin SSRF with read-only impact on the configured key endpoint host. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to force the application server to issue GET requests to arbitrary paths on the same origin, potentially reading non-public data exposed on that host. The vulnerability's root cause is a lack of input sanitization of the JWT kid header value before it is concatenated into the key-fetch URL in AwsAlbKeyResolver.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options don't meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.
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 | 5.3 | N/A | 5.3 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | Low | N/A | Low |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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:L/I:N/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
The attacker may be able to create or overwrite critical files that are used to execute code, such as programs or libraries.
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Files or Directories
The attacker may be able to overwrite or create critical files, such as programs, libraries, or important data. If the targeted file is used for a security mechanism, then the attacker may be able to bypass that mechanism. For example, appending a new account at the end of a password file may allow an attacker to bypass authentication.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories
The attacker may be able read the contents of unexpected files and expose sensitive data. If the targeted file is used for a security mechanism, then the attacker may be able to bypass that mechanism. For example, by reading a password file, the attacker could conduct brute force password guessing attacks in order to break into an account on the system.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
The attacker may be able to overwrite, delete, or corrupt unexpected critical files such as programs, libraries, or important data. This may prevent the product from working at all and in the case of protection mechanisms such as authentication, it has the potential to lock out product users.
Acknowledgements
This issue was discovered by Sandipan Roy (Red Hat).
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