Executive Summary

CVE-2026-44046 is a vulnerability in Apache APISIX versions 1.2.0 through 3.16.0 involving the wolf-rbac plugin under its default configuration.

The issue is a 'Use of Less Trusted Source' vulnerability that allows an attacker to inject spoofed identity information into logs.

Additionally, the attacker can exploit this to manipulate IP-based access control rules, potentially bypassing security restrictions.

Upgrading to Apache APISIX version 3.17.0 (or 3.16.1 as noted in Resource 1) fixes this vulnerability.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can impact you by allowing attackers to pollute your logs with false identity information.

Such log pollution can hinder accurate auditing and incident response.

Moreover, attackers can exploit the vulnerability to bypass IP-based access control rules, potentially gaining unauthorized access to protected resources.

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Mitigation Strategies

The immediate step to mitigate this vulnerability is to upgrade Apache APISIX to version 3.17.0 or later, as this version contains the fix for the issue.

This vulnerability affects versions from 1.2.0 through 3.16.0 and involves the wolf-rbac plugin under default configuration, which can be exploited to inject spoofed identity information and manipulate IP-based access control rules.

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows an attacker to inject spoofed identity information into logs and manipulate IP-based access control rules in Apache APISIX. This could potentially lead to inaccurate logging and unauthorized access control bypass.

Such issues may impact compliance with standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require accurate logging and strict access controls to protect sensitive data and ensure accountability.

However, the provided information does not explicitly state the direct effects on compliance with these standards.

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Detection Guidance

To detect the CVE-2026-44046 vulnerability on your system, you should first identify if your Apache APISIX installation is running a version between 1.2.0 and 3.16.0, as these versions are affected.

You can check the installed version of Apache APISIX by running the following command on the server hosting APISIX:

• apisix version

If the version falls within the vulnerable range, it indicates potential exposure to this issue.

Additionally, since the vulnerability involves the wolf-rbac plugin under default configuration allowing spoofed identity information in logs and manipulation of IP-based access control, you can inspect your APISIX logs for suspicious entries that might indicate spoofed identities or unexpected IP addresses.

A command to search for suspicious log entries might look like this (adjust the log path accordingly):

• grep -i 'wolf-rbac' /path/to/apisix/logs/access.log | grep -E 'spoofed|unauthorized|unexpected'

Monitoring for unusual access patterns or log entries that do not match expected identity or IP information can help detect exploitation attempts.

Ultimately, the recommended action is to upgrade Apache APISIX to version 3.17.0 or later, which contains the fix for this vulnerability.

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