Description
libcurl might in some circumstances reuse the wrong connection when asked to
do an authenticated HTTP(S) request after a Negotiate-authenticated one, when
both use the same host.

libcurl features a pool of recent connections so that subsequent requests can
reuse an existing connection to avoid overhead.

When reusing a connection a range of criteria must be met. Due to a logical
error in the code, a request that was issued by an application could
wrongfully reuse an existing connection to the same server that was
authenticated using different credentials.

An application that first uses Negotiate authentication to a server with
`user1:password1` and then does another operation to the same server asking
for any authentication method but for `user2:password2` (while the previous
connection is still alive) - the second request gets confused and wrongly
reuses the same connection and sends the new request over that connection
thinking it uses a mix of user1's and user2's credentials when it is in fact
still using the connection authenticated for user1...
Published: 2026-05-13
Score: 6.5 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

Impact

An application that uses libcurl for authenticated HTTP(S) requests may incorrectly reuse a connection established with Negotiate authentication. This weakness, identified as CWE-488 and CWE-613, allows a second request to a host to be sent over the same connection that was authenticated with different credentials, effectively bypassing authentication. The primary consequence is that an attacker could access resources or information that should be restricted to another user.

Affected Systems

Any software linked against libcurl and performing Negotiate‑authenticated calls to the same host is potentially vulnerable. No specific vendor, product, or version information has been disclosed, so the risk applies broadly to libcurl‑based applications that reuse connections across authentication contexts.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 6.5 indicates moderate severity. The EPSS score is < 1%, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. The attack vector is inferred to be remote; an attacker could manipulate the target application’s HTTP requests or control the destination host to trigger the flawed reuse. The lack of an exploit probability score and KEV status means the likelihood of exploitation remains uncertain, but the impact of a successful bypass warrants timely remediation.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on May 13, 2026 at 20:29 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade to the latest libcurl release that includes the fix for CVE‑2026‑5545
  • If patching is not immediately possible, modify the application to disable connection reuse for requests that perform Negotiate authentication, ensuring each request establishes a fresh connection
  • Implement a runtime check that verifies authentication state before sending a request or review and enforce proper authentication context handling to prevent unauthorized credential reuse

Generated by OpenCVE AI on May 13, 2026 at 20:29 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories
Source ID Title
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8227-1 curl vulnerabilities
History

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Haxx
Haxx curl
Weaknesses CWE-613
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:haxx:curl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Haxx
Haxx curl

Wed, 13 May 2026 18:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 6.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N'}

ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

cvssV3_1

{'score': 6.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:H/A:N'}


Wed, 13 May 2026 09:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in libcurl. An application using libcurl that performs an authenticated HTTP(S) request after a Negotiate-authenticated one to the same host may incorrectly reuse the previous connection. This authentication bypass vulnerability allows the second request to be sent over a connection authenticated with different credentials, potentially leading to unauthorized access or information disclosure. libcurl might in some circumstances reuse the wrong connection when asked to do an authenticated HTTP(S) request after a Negotiate-authenticated one, when both use the same host. libcurl features a pool of recent connections so that subsequent requests can reuse an existing connection to avoid overhead. When reusing a connection a range of criteria must be met. Due to a logical error in the code, a request that was issued by an application could wrongfully reuse an existing connection to the same server that was authenticated using different credentials. An application that first uses Negotiate authentication to a server with `user1:password1` and then does another operation to the same server asking for any authentication method but for `user2:password2` (while the previous connection is still alive) - the second request gets confused and wrongly reuses the same connection and sends the new request over that connection thinking it uses a mix of user1's and user2's credentials when it is in fact still using the connection authenticated for user1...
Title curl: libcurl: Authentication bypass due to incorrect HTTP Negotiate connection reuse wrong reuse of HTTP Negotiate connection
References

Fri, 01 May 2026 01:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Curl
Curl libcurl
Vendors & Products Curl
Curl libcurl

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in libcurl. An application using libcurl that performs an authenticated HTTP(S) request after a Negotiate-authenticated one to the same host may incorrectly reuse the previous connection. This authentication bypass vulnerability allows the second request to be sent over a connection authenticated with different credentials, potentially leading to unauthorized access or information disclosure.
Title curl: libcurl: Authentication bypass due to incorrect HTTP Negotiate connection reuse
Weaknesses CWE-488
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 6.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N'}

threat_severity

Moderate


cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: curl

Published:

Updated: 2026-05-13T17:46:40.830Z

Reserved: 2026-04-04T12:10:07.125Z

Link: CVE-2026-5545

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-05-13T17:46:02.178Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-05-13T13:01:56.190

Modified: 2026-05-13T19:31:07.633

Link: CVE-2026-5545

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-04-29T00:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2026-5545 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-05-13T20:30:04Z

Weaknesses