kin-openapi: ValidationHandler.Load() Fail-Open Authentication Bypass via NoopAuthenticationFunc Default
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-73501 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-08-12 22:17:17 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-08-13 13:19:18 UTC |
| Description | kin-openapi is a Go project for handling OpenAPI files. Prior to 0.144.0, ValidationHandler.Load() in openapi3filter/validation_handler.go silently replaces a nil AuthenticationFunc with NoopAuthenticationFunc, which returns nil without checking credentials. This substitution causes every OpenAPI security requirement to be satisfied for unauthenticated requests when an application relies on ValidationHandler as its enforcement middleware. The no-op callback prevents the fail-closed ErrAuthenticationServiceMissing path from being reached and forwards the request to protected handlers that may require an API key, OAuth token, or another security scheme. This issue is fixed in version 0.144.0. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 9.1 CRITICAL from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Problem Types: CWE-287 | CWE-287 CWE-287: Improper Authentication
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 9.1 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 9.1 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
NoneCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Getkin | Kin-openapi | affected < 0.144.0 | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/getkin/kin-openapi/releases/tag/v0.144.0 | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/getkin/kin-openapi/commit/f0407d53b0730280266f454b755010e7eeb... | [email protected] | github.com | |
| github.com/getkin/kin-openapi/security/advisories/GHSA-r277-6w6q-xmqw | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | github.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.