CVE-2026-81829: Path Traversal (CVSS 5.3)

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.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.3

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0058

Probability of exploitation

0.46%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-22 Path Traversal

References

Other References

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:69470 https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-81829 https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2524980

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-81829? +

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. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-81829? +

CVE-2026-81829 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.3 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0058, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-81829? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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