CVE-2026-33540
7.5 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2026-33540 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting distribution_project distribution. It was published on April 6, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
Distribution is a toolkit to pack, ship, store, and deliver container content. Prior to 3.1.0, in pull-through cache mode, distribution discovers token auth endpoints by parsing WWW-Authenticate challenges returned by the configured upstream registry. The realm URL from a bearer challenge is used without validating that it matches the upstream registry host. As a result, an attacker-controlled upstream (or an attacker with MitM position to the upstream) can cause distribution to send the configured upstream credentials via basic auth to an attacker-controlled realm URL. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.1.0.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from distribution_project. Update distribution to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| distribution_project | distribution | >= 0, < 3.1.0 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-33540?
CVE-2026-33540 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting distribution_project distribution. It was published on April 6, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2026-33540?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-33540?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from distribution_project. Update distribution to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-33540?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2026-33540 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
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