CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-14917NVD status: Awaiting Analysis

Kong Enterprise Gateway: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-14917 is a high-severity authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability in Kong Enterprise Gateway from Kong, with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 7.7 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 3.15.0.3, 3.14.0.12, 3.13.0.9 as the first without the flaw, so updating Kong Enterprise Gateway to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.82% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 58% of scored CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Kong Enterprise Gateway to 3.15.0.3 or 3.14.0.12 or 3.13.0.9 or 3.12.0.10, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
KongKong Enterprise Gateway3.15.0.0 up to, but not including, 3.15.0.3; 3.14.0.0 up to, but not including, 3.14.0.12; 3.13.0.0 up to, but not including, 3.13.0.9; 3.12.0.0 up to, but not including, 3.12.0.10; 3.10.0.0 up to, but not including, 3.10.0.17; 3.4.0.0 up to, but not including, 3.4.3.293.15.0.3, 3.14.0.12, 3.13.0.9, 3.12.0.10, 3.10.0.17, 3.4.3.29

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Attack requirements
NoneThe attack does not depend on a particular deployment or configuration.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
NoneNo loss of confidentiality on the vulnerable system.
Integrity (vulnerable system)
NoneNo loss of integrity on the vulnerable system.
Availability (vulnerable system)
NoneNo loss of availability on the vulnerable system.
Confidentiality (other systems)
HighSerious loss of confidentiality on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Integrity (other systems)
NoneNo loss of integrity on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Availability (other systems)
NoneNo loss of availability on systems beyond the vulnerable one.

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. Scored by CNA.

Official description

A SAML authentication bypass vulnerability affects the Kong SAML plugin when the validate_assertion_signature option is explicitly set to false. This option is enabled by default. When disabled, the plugin may extract the SAML identity from an unsigned assertion and authenticate the user without verifying a valid cryptographic signature. As a result, an unauthenticated remote attacker may be able to submit a crafted SAML response and impersonate arbitrary users, including administrators

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

The product requires authentication, but the product has an alternate path or channel that does not require authentication.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Funnel all access through a single choke point to simplify how users can access a resource. For every access, perform a check to determine if the user has permissions to access the resource.

More Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerabilities (CWE-288)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Kong Enterprise Gateway

All Kong Enterprise Gateway vulnerabilities

Recent Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerabilities

Spotted an error? Tell us.