8.1
HIGH CVSS 3.1
CVE-2026-52845
Caddy: FastCGI header normalization bypass in `forward_auth copy_headers`
Description

Caddy is an extensible server platform that uses TLS by default. Prior to 2.11.4, forward_auth copy_headers deletes the exact client-supplied identity header before copying the trusted value from the auth gateway. But when the request later goes through php_fastcgi, Caddy normalizes HTTP headers into CGI variables by replacing - with _. This lets a client send an underscore alias that survives the forward_auth delete step but becomes the same PHP/FastCGI variable. Result: a remote client can inject or sometimes override identity/group headers trusted by PHP/FastCGI applications behind Caddy. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.11.4.

INFO

Published Date :

June 23, 2026, 6:18 p.m.

Last Modified :

July 15, 2026, 1:16 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-52845 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Caddyserver caddy
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CVSS 3.1 HIGH [email protected]
CVSS 3.1 HIGH 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c
Solution
Update Caddy to version 2.11.4 or later to fix header injection via forward_auth.
  • Update Caddy to version 2.11.4 or later.
  • Validate forward_auth and PHP/FastCGI header handling.
  • Review Caddy configuration for secure header settings.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2026-52845.

URL Resource
https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/security/advisories/GHSA-f59h-q822-g45g Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-52845
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2491907
https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/security/advisories/GHSA-f59h-q822-g45g Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-52845.json
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-52845 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-52845 weaknesses.

CAPEC-22: Exploiting Trust in Client Exploiting Trust in Client CAPEC-57: Utilizing REST's Trust in the System Resource to Obtain Sensitive Data Utilizing REST's Trust in the System Resource to Obtain Sensitive Data CAPEC-94: Adversary in the Middle (AiTM) Adversary in the Middle (AiTM) CAPEC-114: Authentication Abuse Authentication Abuse CAPEC-115: Authentication Bypass Authentication Bypass CAPEC-151: Identity Spoofing Identity Spoofing CAPEC-194: Fake the Source of Data Fake the Source of Data CAPEC-593: Session Hijacking Session Hijacking CAPEC-633: Token Impersonation Token Impersonation CAPEC-650: Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server CAPEC-21: Exploitation of Trusted Identifiers Exploitation of Trusted Identifiers CAPEC-22: Exploiting Trust in Client Exploiting Trust in Client CAPEC-59: Session Credential Falsification through Prediction Session Credential Falsification through Prediction CAPEC-60: Reusing Session IDs (aka Session Replay) Reusing Session IDs (aka Session Replay) CAPEC-94: Adversary in the Middle (AiTM) Adversary in the Middle (AiTM) CAPEC-459: Creating a Rogue Certification Authority Certificate Creating a Rogue Certification Authority Certificate CAPEC-461: Web Services API Signature Forgery Leveraging Hash Function Extension Weakness Web Services API Signature Forgery Leveraging Hash Function Extension Weakness CAPEC-473: Signature Spoof Signature Spoof CAPEC-476: Signature Spoofing by Misrepresentation Signature Spoofing by Misrepresentation CAPEC-667: Bluetooth Impersonation AttackS (BIAS) Bluetooth Impersonation AttackS (BIAS) CAPEC-33: HTTP Request Smuggling HTTP Request Smuggling CAPEC-273: HTTP Response Smuggling HTTP Response Smuggling

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2026-52845 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-52845 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c

    Jul. 15, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:hummingbird:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Hardened Images', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}] [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:hummingbird:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Hardened Images', 'packageName': 'caddy', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
  • CVE Modified by 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c

    Jun. 30, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:hummingbird:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Hardened Images', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}]
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
    Added CWE CWE-444
    Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-52845
    Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2491907
    Added Reference https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-52845.json
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Jun. 26, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:caddyserver:caddy:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 2.11.4
    Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/security/advisories/GHSA-f59h-q822-g45g Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory
    Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/security/advisories/GHSA-f59h-q822-g45g Types: Exploit, Third Party Advisory
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Jun. 24, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/security/advisories/GHSA-f59h-q822-g45g
    Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-52845', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'poc'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-06-24T14:25:18.472130Z'}
  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Jun. 23, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Affected [{'vendor': 'caddyserver', 'product': 'caddy', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '< 2.11.4'}]}]
    Added Description Caddy is an extensible server platform that uses TLS by default. Prior to 2.11.4, forward_auth copy_headers deletes the exact client-supplied identity header before copying the trusted value from the auth gateway. But when the request later goes through php_fastcgi, Caddy normalizes HTTP headers into CGI variables by replacing - with _. This lets a client send an underscore alias that survives the forward_auth delete step but becomes the same PHP/FastCGI variable. Result: a remote client can inject or sometimes override identity/group headers trusted by PHP/FastCGI applications behind Caddy. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.11.4.
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
    Added CWE CWE-287
    Added CWE CWE-444
    Added CWE CWE-290
    Added Reference https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/security/advisories/GHSA-f59h-q822-g45g
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.