CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-53501NVD status: Deferred

thumbor: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-53501 is a high-severity improper verification of cryptographic signature vulnerability in thumbor, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.2 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected thumbor versions: < 7.8.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.35% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of thumbor you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  3. 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
Thumborthumbor< 7.8.0Not stated

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.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
NoneNo data is disclosed.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
LowPerformance or availability is reduced.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L. Scored by CNA (github.com).

Official description

Thumbor is an open-source photo thumbnail service by globo.com. Prior to 7.8.0, Thumbor’s HMAC validation can be bypassed due to the use of Python’s .replace() when removing the signature from the URL before validation. Since .replace() removes all occurrences of the substring, an attacker can insert the same signature multiple times in the URL and manipulate the final URL used for validation. This allows crafting URLs where the validated string differs from the actual requested resource, enabling loading images from unintended domains or paths. This issue is fixed in 7.8.0.

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

The underlying weakness: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature

The product does not verify, or incorrectly verifies, the cryptographic signature for data.

More Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature vulnerabilities (CWE-347)

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 thumbor

All thumbor vulnerabilities

Recent Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature vulnerabilities

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