CVE-2026-40166Network attack vector

Client secret disclosure via nested provider serialization

Published May 22, 2026 · Updated May 22, 2026

Incorrect authorization in authentik before 2025.12.5 and 2026.2.0-rc1 through 2026.2.2 allows remote authenticated users to read client secrets. The access-token list serializer embeds a provider object containing client_id and client_secret instead of omitting confidential provider credentials from low-privilege API responses. Exploitation requires a non-admin account with at least one access token from a completed OAuth2 flow, and disclosure is limited to confidential providers previously used by that account.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.46%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Incorrect authorization in authentik before 2025.12.5 and 2026.2.0-rc1 through 2026.2.2 allows remote authenticated users to read client secrets. The access-token list serializer embeds a provider object containing client_id and client_secret instead of omitting confidential provider credentials from low-privilege API responses. Exploitation requires a non-admin account with at least one access token from a completed OAuth2 flow, and disclosure is limited to confidential providers previously used by that account.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-40166
Published
May 22, 2026
Updated
May 22, 2026
Vendor
Authentik Security Inc.
Product
authentik
Classifications
CWE-200, CWE-863, T1552
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 22, 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=< 2025.12.5
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 2026.2.0-rc1, < 2026.2.3

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Authentik Security Inc. · authentikversion=< 2025.12.5; version=>= 2026.2.0-rc1, < 2026.2.3

Published CVSS scores

7.1GitHub, Inc.CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA: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 exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CWE-863Incorrect Authorization
T1552Unsecured Credentials

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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