Unauthenticated access via unsanitized authentication subrequest headers
Published Oct 14, 2026 · Updated Oct 14, 2026
Authentication bypass in F5 Networks NGINX Ingress Controller allows remote attackers to access protected paths via spoofed headers. The auth_request subrequest forwards client-supplied X-Forwarded-Prefix, X-Forwarded-URI, X-Original-URI, and X-Forwarded-Method headers without sanitization. Exploitation requires ExternalAuth or Ingress external authentication and a provider that evaluates those attributes; the exposure affects the data plane, not the control plane.
Summary
What happened
Authentication bypass in F5 Networks NGINX Ingress Controller allows remote attackers to access protected paths via spoofed headers. The auth_request subrequest forwards client-supplied X-Forwarded-Prefix, X-Forwarded-URI, X-Original-URI, and X-Forwarded-Method headers without sanitization. Exploitation requires ExternalAuth or Ingress external authentication and a provider that evaluates those attributes; the exposure affects the data plane, not the control plane.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-94197
- Published
- Oct 14, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 14, 2026
- Vendor
- F5 Networks
- Product
- NGINX Ingress Controller
- Classifications
- T1190
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 14, 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.
- Affected versionversion=5.5.0 <5.7.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
No CVSS assessment is available in this record.
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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.
Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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