# CVE-2026-94416: Aap-gateway: aap-gateway: authorization bypass via workload identity token forgery

> An administrator can forge workload identity tokens to bypass authorization and disclose secrets from downstream services like Vault.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-ch6h-xwwm-655w

## What is CVE-2026-94416?

CVE-2026-94416 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, published on 24 Sep 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An authorization bypass was found in the Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) gateway. The gateway API allows an authenticated administrator to create a new service key for the Controller service cluster. Because service-key creation is not restricted to the installer-provisioned provisioning path, an administrator-issued key is cryptographically indistinguishable from a legitimate one and can be used to forge a service-authentication token that impersonates the Controller service. Combined with the gateway OIDC workload-identity endpoint (enabled via FEATURE_OIDC_WORKLOAD_IDENTITY_ENABLED), the attacker can drive the gateway to sign Workload Identity Tokens (WITs) for arbitrary Controller workloads. A downstream resource server such as HashiCorp Vault that trusts the gateway OIDC key will accept the forged WIT and return the AAP credentials bound to that workload, disclosing secrets beyond the attacker's authorization boundary.

Weakness: CWE-290 (Authentication Bypass by Spoofing)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-94416?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-94416?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-94416 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-94416 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-94416 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-94416 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-94416 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2, published on 24 Sep 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-94416 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2. 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-2026-94416/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-94416/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-94416
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-94416
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-94416

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-94416/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.