CVE-2026-30851Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Privilege escalation via retained client identity headers

Published Mar 7, 2026 · Updated Mar 7, 2026

Improper authentication in Caddy 2.10.0 through 2.11.1 allows remote authenticated users to inject trusted identity headers. The forward_auth copy_headers route conditionally sets a header only when the authentication service returns it, but never deletes the same client-supplied header. A valid low-privilege token and a deployment whose authentication service omits a configured identity header are required; the backend then accepts attacker-chosen identity or role values, enabling privilege escalation.

CVSS severity8.1
High
EPSS probability0.25%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper authentication in Caddy 2.10.0 through 2.11.1 allows remote authenticated users to inject trusted identity headers. The forward_auth copy_headers route conditionally sets a header only when the authentication service returns it, but never deletes the same client-supplied header. A valid low-privilege token and a deployment whose authentication service omits a configured identity header are required; the backend then accepts attacker-chosen identity or role values, enabling privilege escalation.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-30851
Published
Mar 7, 2026
Updated
Mar 7, 2026
Vendor
Caddy
Product
Caddy
Classifications
CWE-287, CWE-345, T1190
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 7, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 7, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=>= 2.10.0, < 2.11.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Caddy · Caddyversion=>= 2.10.0, < 2.11.2

Published CVSS scores

8.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.1GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-287Improper Authentication
CWE-345Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity
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

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Your stack

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