CVE-2024-7010Public exploitNetwork attack vector

API key disclosure via variable-time comparison

Published Oct 29, 2024 · Updated Oct 15, 2025

Timing side channel in LocalAI before 2.21 allows remote attackers to infer valid API keys through authentication response latency. The HTTP authentication middleware compares each supplied API key to configured keys with ordinary string equality, whose early exit makes response time depend on the matching prefix. An API key must be configured and the service reachable; repeated unauthenticated probes can disclose a valid key and enable protected API access.

CVSS severity5.9
Medium
EPSS probability0.52%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Timing side channel in LocalAI before 2.21 allows remote attackers to infer valid API keys through authentication response latency. The HTTP authentication middleware compares each supplied API key to configured keys with ordinary string equality, whose early exit makes response time depend on the matching prefix. An API key must be configured and the service reachable; repeated unauthenticated probes can disclose a valid key and enable protected API access.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-7010
Published
Oct 29, 2024
Updated
Oct 15, 2025
Vendor
Mudler
Product
LocalAI
Classifications
CWE-203, T1190
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 29, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 15, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=0 <2.21
  2. Affected versionversion=unspecified <2.21

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Mudler · LocalAIversion=0 <2.21; version=unspecified <2.21

Published CVSS scores

7.5@huntr_aiCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
5.9NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-203Observable Discrepancy
T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo