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KestraApplication

CVE-2026-53576

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.0.45 / 1.3.21 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click 8 weeks old

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Kestra is an open-source, event-driven orchestration platform. Prior to 1.0.45 and 1.3.21, the authentication filter for the REST API (@Filter("/api/v1/**")) treats any request whose path ends in /configs as the public instance-config endpoint and forwards it without a credential check. kestra addresses its resources by URL path segments that the caller chooses (/api/v1/{tenant}/flows/{namespace}, /api/v1/{tenant}/executions/{namespace}/{id}, /api/v1/{tenant}/namespaces/{namespace}/kv/{key}). An anonymous caller picks the literal configs as the final segment, and the request bypasses Basic-Auth entirely. Because the bypass reaches the flow-create and execution-trigger routes, an unauthenticated caller creates a flow containing a Shell or Process task and runs it. The task executes as root inside the kestra container. The official docker-compose.yml mounts /var/run/docker.sock, so root in the container reaches the host Docker daemon. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.0.45 and 1.3.21.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Kestra REST API authentication filter @Filter("/api/v1/**") incorrectly treats any request path ending in /configs as the public instance-config endpoint and forwards it without credential verification. Attackers exploit this by using 'configs' as the final URL path segment (e.g., /api/v1/{tenant}/flows/configs) to bypass Basic-Auth entirely, enabling unauthenticated creation of flows containing Shell or Process tasks that execute as root inside the container.

MitigationUpgrade Kestra to version 1.0.45 or 1.3.21 to patch the authentication bypass vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
KestraApplication
Affected:< 1.0.45>= 1.1.0, < 1.3.21

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed Kestra version
    Check the Kestra version via the /api/v1/health or /api/v1/config endpoint, or inspect the Kestra Docker container/logs for the version string
    Affected if The installed version is < 1.0.45 OR >= 1.1.0 and < 1.3.21
  2. Confirm REST API v1 is exposed
    Verify that the Kestra API server is reachable over the network on port 8080 (or configured port) and that /api/v1/** endpoints are accessible
    Affected if The API server is reachable from an untrusted network without additional network-level restrictions
  3. Test authentication on the /configs endpoint
    Send an unauthenticated HTTP request to /api/v1/{tenant}/flows/configs or /api/v1/configs and verify the response does not return a 401 or 403 error
    Affected if The request returns 200 OK or a successful response without providing any credentials, indicating authentication is bypassed
  4. Verify Basic-Auth configuration is in place
    Inspect the Kestra configuration (application.yml or environment variables) for auth.basic.enabled=true and confirm basic authentication is intended to protect the API
    Affected if Basic-Auth is configured but can still be bypassed via the /configs path ending

A user is affected if Kestra version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the REST API is network-accessible AND the /configs endpoint accepts unauthenticated requests.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.0.45 / 1.3.21 or later
Fixed in 1.0.451.3.21
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Kestra to version 1.0.45 or 1.3.21 to patch the authentication bypass vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Kestra 1.0.45 (for 1.0.x line) or 1.3.21+ (for 1.1.x-1.3.x line)

  1. 1. Identify the currently running Kestra version using `kestra version` or checking the docker container image tag
  2. 2. For Kestra 1.0.x versions: Upgrade to version 1.0.45 or later
  3. 3. For Kestra 1.1.x through 1.3.x versions: Upgrade to version 1.3.21 or later
  4. 4. If running via Docker, update the image tag in docker-compose.yml from the current version to the appropriate fixed version (e.g., `kestra/kestra:latest` to a specific version like `kestra/kestra:v1.3.21`)
  5. 5. Pull the new image: `docker pull kestra/kestra:v1.3.21`
  6. 6. Restart the Kestra container to apply the update: `docker-compose up -d`
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Kestra UI or API after authentication is properly enforced

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Kestra Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-53576 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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