Executive Summary

CVE-2026-11500 is a security vulnerability in Weaviate up to version 1.37.7 affecting the Static API Key Handler component. The issue arises because the system allows duplicate static API keys in its configuration, which leads to authorization bypass.

Specifically, when the same API key is assigned to multiple users, the authentication process incorrectly authenticates the key holder as the first matching user in the configuration list. This means an attacker with a duplicated key can impersonate a higher-privileged user.

The vulnerability is located in the validateConfig function of the file usecases/auth/authentication/apikey/client.go. The attack can be initiated remotely but is considered difficult to exploit due to its complexity.

The issue was fixed by modifying the validation logic to reject duplicate API keys, ensuring only unique keys are accepted.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access and privilege escalation in systems using Weaviate with static API keys.

An attacker who obtains or shares a duplicated API key can impersonate another user, potentially one with higher permissions, thereby gaining access to sensitive data or operations they should not have.

Because the authentication process returns the first matching user for a duplicated key, the attacker can bypass proper authorization checks, leading to security risks such as data breaches or unauthorized modifications.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves duplicate static API keys being accepted by Weaviate, which can lead to authorization bypass. Detection involves checking the configuration for duplicate API keys in the AllowedKeys list.

Since the vulnerability is related to the validateConfig function in the authentication module, you can detect it by reviewing your Weaviate configuration files for duplicate static API keys.

There are no specific network or system commands provided in the resources to detect this vulnerability automatically.

A practical approach is to audit your API key configuration manually or via scripts that parse the AllowedKeys configuration to ensure all keys are unique.

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Mitigation Strategies

The primary mitigation step is to upgrade Weaviate to version 1.38.0-rc.0 or later, where this vulnerability has been fixed.

The fix ensures that duplicate static API keys are rejected during configuration validation, preventing authorization bypass.

Until you can upgrade, you should manually verify that your configuration does not contain duplicate static API keys to reduce the risk of exploitation.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability in Weaviate allows for authorization bypass due to duplicate static API keys, which can lead to unauthorized access and privilege escalation.

Such unauthorized access risks compromising sensitive data and user privacy, which can negatively impact compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA that require strict access controls and protection of personal and health information.

By allowing an attacker to impersonate higher-privileged users, this vulnerability undermines the integrity of authentication mechanisms, potentially leading to violations of regulatory requirements for data confidentiality and security.

Upgrading to version 1.38.0-rc.0, which includes a fix to enforce unique static API keys, is necessary to mitigate this risk and help maintain compliance.

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