CVE-2026-57485
Received Received - Intake

API Key Exposure in Stirling-PDF Leading to Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-08-17

Last updated on: 2026-08-17

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Stirling-PDF is a locally hosted web application that facilitates various operations on PDF files. Prior to 2.9.0, the /api/v1/pipeline/handleData endpoint in app/core/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/controller/api/pipeline/PipelineProcessor.java injects the STIRLING-PDF-BACKEND-API-USER API key into pipeline subrequests, allowing an authenticated ROLE_USER to retrieve the key through /api/v1/user/get-api-key, impersonate the internal service account, bypass normal rate limits, and access internal endpoints including /api/v1/info/requests/all and /api/v1/info/load/all. This issue is fixed in version 2.9.0.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-17
Last Modified
2026-08-17
Generated
2026-08-18
AI Q&A
2026-08-17
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-57485
EUVD
EUVD-2026-60364

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
stirling pdf to 2.9.0 (exc)
stirling pdf 2.9.0
stirling pdf to 2.9.0 (inc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-522 The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.
CWE-200 The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-57485 is a high-severity vulnerability in Stirling-PDF versions 2.8.0 and earlier. It allows an authenticated low-privilege user to disclose and misuse the internal service account API key. The issue occurs via the /api/v1/pipeline/handleData endpoint, which injects the internal backend service account's API key into all pipeline sub-requests. This enables impersonation of the internal service account, granting unlimited API call permissions and access to sensitive endpoints.

Detection Guidance

Check Stirling-PDF logs for suspicious API calls to /api/v1/pipeline/handleData or /api/v1/user/get-api-key. Monitor for unauthorized access to /api/v1/info/requests/all or /api/v1/info/load/all. Verify if the STIRLING-PDF-BACKEND-API-USER key is exposed in responses or logs.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could steal the internal API key, bypass rate limits, and monitor all system activity, including admin actions and user job IDs. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, privilege escalation, and potential data breaches.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating GDPR's data protection principles and HIPAA's security and privacy requirements. It may result in non-compliance, legal penalties, and reputational damage.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade to Stirling-PDF version 2.9.0 or later. Restrict pipeline operations to PDF processing endpoints only. Block access to sensitive endpoints like /api/v1/user/*, /api/v1/auth/*, and /api/v1/admin/*. Limit metrics endpoint access to administrators only.

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