# CVE-2026-49869: Kestra OSS OS Command Injection

> Unauthenticated attackers can bypass authentication via a suffix match flaw to execute arbitrary workflows and achieve remote code execution as root.

- **Severity:** Critical 10.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 2 Sep 2026 (CISA KEV)
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 3 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5vc5-wxxq-3fjx

## What is CVE-2026-49869?

CVE-2026-49869 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in kestra-io kestra, published on 26 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Kestra is an open-source, event-driven orchestration platform. Prior to 1.0.45 and 1.3.21, AuthenticationFilter in Kestra OSS uses request.getPath().endsWith("/configs") to whitelist the public configuration endpoint from Basic Auth. Because the check is a suffix match rather than an exact path match, any API path whose last segment is configs bypasses authentication entirely. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this to create and execute arbitrary workflows without credentials. Because Kestra ships with script execution plugins (plugin-script-shell, plugin-script-python, etc.) enabled by default, this directly results in unauthenticated Remote Code Execution as root inside the Kestra worker container.  This vulnerability is fixed in 1.0.45 and 1.3.21.

Weakness: CWE-918 (Server-Side Request Forgery), CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command), CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), CWE-184 (Incomplete List of Disallowed Inputs)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-49869?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Kestra Kestra.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-49869?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-49869 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 5 Sep 2026.

## Is CVE-2026-49869 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2026-49869 in the wild since at least 2 Sep 2026.

Public exploit code:

- Kestra Unauthenticated RCE (github_poc): https://github.com/EQSTLab/CVE-2026-49869
- Kestra Auth-Bypass Vulnerability Checker (github_poc): https://github.com/Ap0dexMe0/CVE-2026-49869

## Other vulnerabilities in kestra-io kestra

- [CVE-2026-53576](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53576/): Kestra: Unauthenticated RCE via /configs path-suffix auth-filter bypass (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-34612](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34612/): Kestra: Remote Code Execution via SQL Injection (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-38428](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-38428/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-55069](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-55069/): Kestra BasicAuth Password Stored as SHA-512 Enables Offline Brute-Force Attack (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2026-45807](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-45807/): Kestra: Path traversal via URL-encoded "%2E%2E" in execution and namespace file endpoints allows arbitrary file read (high 7.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-49869 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-49869 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in kestra-io kestra, published on 26 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2026-49869 in the wild since at least 2 Sep 2026.

Affected product: kestra-io kestra. 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-2026-49869/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-49869/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-49869
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-49869
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-49869

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-49869/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.