CVE-2026-49331
Received Received - Intake

Authentication Bypass via Header Injection in OAuth Proxy

Publication date: 2026-08-05

Last updated on: 2026-08-05

Assigner: Red Hat, Inc.

Description
A flaw was found in openshift/oauth-proxy. On paths configured to bypass authentication (skip-auth-regex), the proxy forwards client-supplied identity headers (X-Forwarded-User, X-Forwarded-Email, X-Forwarded-Access-Token) to the upstream application without stripping them. An unauthenticated attacker can inject forged identity headers on whitelisted paths.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-05
Last Modified
2026-08-05
Generated
2026-08-05
AI Q&A
2026-08-05
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-49331
EUVD
EUVD-2026-53393

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
redhat openshift_oauth_proxy *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-345 The product does not sufficiently verify the origin or authenticity of data, in a way that causes it to accept invalid data.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability is in the openshift/oauth-proxy component. When authentication bypass paths are configured, the proxy forwards client-supplied identity headers to upstream applications without removing them. An attacker can exploit this to inject forged identity headers on whitelisted paths.

Detection Guidance

Check if any paths in your oauth-proxy configuration use skip-auth-regex settings. Inspect HTTP headers forwarded to upstream applications for X-Forwarded-User, X-Forwarded-Email, or X-Forwarded-Access-Token on those paths. Use tools like curl to test whitelisted paths for header injection.

Impact Analysis

An unauthenticated attacker could impersonate legitimate users by injecting forged identity headers. This may allow unauthorized access to protected resources or actions on applications behind the proxy.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating confidentiality requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. Organizations using affected configurations may face compliance violations and potential data breaches.

Mitigation Strategies

Review and minimize skip-auth-regex configurations in oauth-proxy. Add middleware in upstream applications to ignore X-Forwarded-User headers on unauthenticated paths. Monitor for updates from Red Hat and apply patches when available.

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