# CVE-2026-56259: Crawl4AI - LLM Credential Exfiltration via base_url and Environment Variable Resolution

> Attackers can exfiltrate LLM API keys and server secrets via unauthenticated endpoints, enabling authentication bypass and credential theft.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 12 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f989-c77f-r2cq, GHSA-mw9f-q68p-364x, PYSEC-2026-3448

## What is CVE-2026-56259?

CVE-2026-56259 is a high-severity vulnerability in Crawl4AI, published on 12 Jul 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Crawl4AI before 0.8.8 contains credential exfiltration vulnerabilities in the Docker API server that allow attackers to redirect LLM API calls to attacker-controlled endpoints and read arbitrary environment variables. Attackers can exploit the unauthenticated /md, /llm, and /llm/job endpoints by supplying a malicious base_url parameter and setting api_token to env:VARIABLE_NAME to exfiltrate provider API keys and server secrets including JWT SECRET_KEY for authentication bypass.

Weakness: CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-56259?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including crawl4ai. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `crawl4ai` | PyPI | All versions | 0.8.8 |
| `crawl4ai` | PyPI | All versions | 0.8.8 |
| `crawl4ai` | PyPI | All versions | 0.8.8 |

Products: Kidocode Crawl4ai.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-56259?

Upgrade crawl4ai to 0.8.8 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-56259 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-56259 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Crawl4AI

- [CVE-2026-57572](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-57572/): Crawl4AI: Unauthenticated RCE via Chromium launch-argument injection in browser_config.extra_args (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-26216](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-26216/): Crawl4AI < 0.8.0 Docker API Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via Hooks Parameter (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2026-53753](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53753/): Crawl4AI: AST Sandbox Escape via gi_frame.f_back Chain - Pre-Auth RCE in Docker API (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-57571](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-57571/): Crawl4AI arbitrary file write via download filename path traversal (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2026-56265](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-56265/): Crawl4AI - Authentication Bypass via Hardcoded JWT Signing Key (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-56259 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-56259 is a high-severity vulnerability in Crawl4AI, published on 12 Jul 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-2026-56259 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- crawl4ai (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 0.8.8
- crawl4ai (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 0.8.8
- crawl4ai (PyPI): affected all versions; fixed in 0.8.8

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-2026-56259/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-56259/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-56259
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-56259
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-56259

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-56259/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.