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CVE-2026-81868 — Vulnerability in...

MEDIUM

Steeltoe: Header-forwarded client cert lacks proof of private-key possession

Published September 17, 2026Updated September 17, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### Summary When Steeltoe's certificate-based authorization (`UseCertificateAuthorization`) is configured, the default configuration of the middleware relies on the `X-Client-Cert` HTTP header to identify the client certificate, without verifying private-key possession. This header is not stripped by common Cloud Foundry routers (like Gorouter or Envoy) on inbound requests. ### Impact An attacker who obtains the public certificate of an application instance in the target organization or space can spoof the `X-Client-Cert` header. This allows the attacker to bypass `SameOrg` and `SameSpace` authorization policies, granting unauthorized access to protected endpoints for the duration of the certificate's validity period. ### Affected configuration - The application uses `AddOrgAndSpacePolicies()` and `UseCertificateAuthorization()` for inter-service authorization. - Inbound requests are not restricted to a known trusted proxy source IP. - The application's endpoints are network-accessible to the attacker (e.g., exposed to the internet via a public Cloud Foundry route, or the attacker has access to the internal Cloud Foundry network). ### Mitigations If an immediate upgrade to a patched version is not possible: - Restrict `UseCertificateForwarding` to trusted proxy source IPs using `ForwardedHeadersOptions.KnownProxies` and `KnownNetworks`. - Change the forwarding header to `X-Forwarded-Client-Cert` so that Cloud Foundry Gorouter and Envoy header stripping mechanisms apply to inbound untrusted requests. - Add a secondary authorization layer (e.g., a shared secret or mutual TLS at the proxy layer) for sensitive endpoints. - Ensure the application is not bound to a public route unless explicitly required. Use Cloud Foundry internal routes (e.g., `.apps.internal`) and container-to-container network policies to strictly limit network access to intended internal clients.

Advisory Timeline

  • First published September 17, 2026 (25 days ago).
  • Last revised September 17, 2026 — 0 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

NuGet
Update Steeltoe.Security.Authorization.Certificate to 4.3.0 or later
dotnet add package Steeltoe.Security.Authorization.Certificate --version 4.3.0

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

Affects 1 ecosystem: nuget (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
Steeltoe.Security.Authorization.Certificate
nuget
4.0.0, 4.0.0-beta1, 4.0.0-rc1, 4.1.0 (+1 more)4.3.0

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 6.5 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-81868?
Steeltoe: Header-forwarded client cert lacks proof of private-key possession This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of MEDIUM (CVSS score: 6.5/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-81868?
CVE-2026-81868 affects Steeltoe.Security.Authorization.Certificate. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-81868 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
6.5

Exploitation requires specific conditions or has limited impact. Remediate within weeks.

Also Known As

GHSA-5mq7-rwhj-4fh9

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