Summary
CVE-2026-114108 is a critical missing-authentication vulnerability in HKUDS Vibe-Trading that can expose its FastAPI surface when API_AUTH_KEY is unset. An unauthenticated attacker may access sessions, submit messages that invoke shell-capable tooling, upload script files, read session histories, and obtain partial API keys.
CVE-2026-114108 is a critical missing-authentication vulnerability in HKUDS Vibe-Trading that can expose its FastAPI surface when API_AUTH_KEY is unset. An unauthenticated attacker may access sessions, submit messages that invoke shell-capable tooling, upload script files, read session histories, and obtain partial API keys.
Affected context
The vulnerability occurs in Vibe-Trading deployments from 0.1.0 through versions before 0.1.7 when the API authentication setting is absent or otherwise left unset. In that configuration, the authentication check may return without enforcing credentials across sensitive FastAPI endpoints, including session messaging, file upload, and history access.
The vulnerability occurs in Vibe-Trading deployments from 0.1.0 through versions before 0.1.7 when the API authentication setting is absent or otherwise left unset. In that configuration, the authentication check may return without enforcing credentials across sensitive FastAPI endpoints, including session messaging, file upload, and history access.
Exploit preconditions
- Attack surface: The Vibe-Trading FastAPI service and its exposed application endpoints
- Required access: Network reachability to the service; no valid credentials may be required when API_AUTH_KEY is unset
- Trigger point: Requests to session, messaging, upload, or history-related endpoints
- Why exploitation is possible: The authentication guard returns early when the expected API key configuration is missing, allowing requests to reach privileged functionality
- Attack surface: The Vibe-Trading FastAPI service and its exposed application endpoints
- Required access: Network reachability to the service; no valid credentials may be required when API_AUTH_KEY is unset
- Trigger point: Requests to session, messaging, upload, or history-related endpoints
- Why exploitation is possible: The authentication guard returns early when the expected API key configuration is missing, allowing requests to reach privileged functionality
Why this happens
The underlying bug is an authentication control that treats a missing security configuration as a reason to skip enforcement. This maps to CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function, because sensitive operations remain reachable without verifying the caller's identity. The insecure pattern is fail-open authorization logic in which an unset credential requirement grants access instead of disabling the service or rejecting requests.
The underlying bug is an authentication control that treats a missing security configuration as a reason to skip enforcement. This maps to CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function, because sensitive operations remain reachable without verifying the caller's identity. The insecure pattern is fail-open authorization logic in which an unset credential requirement grants access instead of disabling the service or rejecting requests.
Potential impact
- Unauthenticated attackers could invoke shell-capable application tooling
- The service may be used for arbitrary command execution with the process account's privileges
- Attackers could upload Python or shell script files
- Session histories and other application data could be disclosed
- Partial API keys or other secrets may be exposed
- The host, container, or connected systems could be compromised depending on runtime privileges
- Unauthenticated attackers could invoke shell-capable application tooling
- The service may be used for arbitrary command execution with the process account's privileges
- Attackers could upload Python or shell script files
- Session histories and other application data could be disclosed
- Partial API keys or other secrets may be exposed
- The host, container, or connected systems could be compromised depending on runtime privileges
General mitigation guidance
Mitigation generally focuses on fail-closed authentication and reducing the privileges of exposed application functions.
Common defensive patterns include:
- Require authentication for every sensitive endpoint, including session messaging, file upload, and history access
- Treat missing or invalid authentication configuration as a deployment error rather than bypassing checks
- Separate administrative, execution, data-access, and upload permissions using least privilege
- Avoid exposing shell-capable tools through unauthenticated or broadly authorized APIs
- Restrict uploaded file types, storage locations, and execution permissions
- Run the service with a dedicated low-privilege identity and isolate it from sensitive host resources
- Store credentials outside application responses and redact secrets from histories and logs
- Place the API behind network controls, rate limits, and policy enforcement that provide defense in depth
Mitigation generally focuses on fail-closed authentication and reducing the privileges of exposed application functions.
Common defensive patterns include:
- Require authentication for every sensitive endpoint, including session messaging, file upload, and history access
- Treat missing or invalid authentication configuration as a deployment error rather than bypassing checks
- Separate administrative, execution, data-access, and upload permissions using least privilege
- Avoid exposing shell-capable tools through unauthenticated or broadly authorized APIs
- Restrict uploaded file types, storage locations, and execution permissions
- Run the service with a dedicated low-privilege identity and isolate it from sensitive host resources
- Store credentials outside application responses and redact secrets from histories and logs
- Place the API behind network controls, rate limits, and policy enforcement that provide defense in depth
How teams detect issues like this
High-level detection can combine configuration review, source analysis, and runtime monitoring:
- Use static analysis to identify authentication guards that return success when keys, tokens, or configuration values are absent
- Review endpoint registration and dependency wiring to confirm that all sensitive routes require authentication
- Flag fail-open conditionals and default-allow branches in authentication and authorization code
- Test deployments with missing, malformed, expired, and unauthorized credentials to verify rejection behavior
- Monitor requests to session messaging, upload, and history endpoints, especially from unauthenticated clients
- Alert on unexpected shell-tool invocation, script uploads, and access to secret-like response content
- Enforce CI and deployment policies requiring authentication configuration before the service becomes reachable
- Automated code review and API security testing tools may help identify unprotected routes and authorization bypasses
High-level detection can combine configuration review, source analysis, and runtime monitoring:
- Use static analysis to identify authentication guards that return success when keys, tokens, or configuration values are absent
- Review endpoint registration and dependency wiring to confirm that all sensitive routes require authentication
- Flag fail-open conditionals and default-allow branches in authentication and authorization code
- Test deployments with missing, malformed, expired, and unauthorized credentials to verify rejection behavior
- Monitor requests to session messaging, upload, and history endpoints, especially from unauthenticated clients
- Alert on unexpected shell-tool invocation, script uploads, and access to secret-like response content
- Enforce CI and deployment policies requiring authentication configuration before the service becomes reachable
- Automated code review and API security testing tools may help identify unprotected routes and authorization bypasses
