# CVE-2026-83535: Openstack-network-exporter: basic-auth uses plaintext password storage and non-constant-time comparison

> An attacker can bypass authentication to access sensitive Open vSwitch and OVN metrics if TLS is misconfigured, leading to information disclosure.

- **Severity:** High 7.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 12 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 13 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-45q5-ghf8-56pr

## What is CVE-2026-83535?

CVE-2026-83535 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0, published on 12 Oct 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 openstack-network-exporter. When an operator configures user authentication but omits or misconfigures Transport Layer Security (TLS), the basic authentication mechanism is silently bypassed. This fail-open design allows an adjacent network attacker to access sensitive Open vSwitch (OVS) and Open Virtual Network (OVN) dataplane metrics without credentials. Consequently, an attacker can enumerate bridge names, port counters, OVN controller state, and host topology, leading to information disclosure.

Weakness: CWE-208 (Observable Timing Discrepancy)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-83535?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-83535?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-83535 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-83535 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-83535 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-83535 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-83535 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0, published on 12 Oct 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-2026-83535 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0. 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-2026-83535/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-83535/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-83535
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-83535
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-83535

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-83535/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.