CVE-2026-94266
Description
A flaw was found in curl. This vulnerability can lead to information disclosure by inadvertently revealing authentication credentials. When curl retrieves credentials from a local configuration file (such as a .netrc file), requesting the effective URL metadata can cause the returned destination address to improperly include those secret credentials. A local user may exploit this issue to view sensitive authentication tokens if an application or script queries and logs or displays the resolved URL.
Statement
Red Hat has evaluated this vulnerability as having a Low security impact because exposure is limited to local scenarios where authentication secrets are sourced from a user configuration file and an application or script explicitly queries the effective URL metadata. Under standard configurations, curl and libcurl do not expose stored authentication tokens unless an application or script intentionally requests the resolved destination address. Exploitation requires existing local execution access alongside this specific query pattern, presenting minimal risk to typical system operations.
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 | 3.3 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | 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:L/AC:L/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)
Access Control
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
An attacker could gain access to user accounts and access sensitive data used by the user accounts.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Joshua Rogers (Aisle Research) for reporting this issue.
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