# CVE-2026-124738: Busybox: httpd password rule bypass for pre-compressed .gz files via accept-encoding: gzip

> Remote attackers can bypass BusyBox httpd password rules by requesting uncompressed files with gzip encoding, exposing sensitive files.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Harmful if only installed:** No
- **Needs a specific call:** No
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Nov 2026
- **Updated:** 12 Nov 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mrxw-pq69-7j5x, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-124738

## What is CVE-2026-124738?

CVE-2026-124738 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, published on 11 Nov 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in BusyBox. When the HTTP daemon (httpd) has pre-compressed file support enabled, authentication checks are evaluated only against the requested URL path rather than the pre-compressed file being served. A remote attacker can exploit this flaw by requesting an uncompressed file path while specifying gzip encoding, bypassing password rules configured specifically for the compressed file. This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized information disclosure of sensitive files.

Weakness: CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-124738?

Only installations with a non-default setting turned on are exposed.


## How do I fix CVE-2026-124738?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-124738 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-124738 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-124738 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-124738 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-124738 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, published on 11 Nov 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-124738 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Exposure: Only installations with a non-default setting turned on are exposed.

Affected product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-124738/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-124738/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-124738
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-124738
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-124738

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-124738/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.