curl: Server-Side Request Forgery
CVE-2026-5773 is a high-severity server-side request forgery vulnerability in curl, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 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 8.14.2, 8.16.1, 8.20.0 as the first without the flaw, so updating curl to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.62% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 50% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update curl to 8.14.2 or 8.16.1 or 8.20.0 or 74a169575d6412dc0ff532acdf94de35a6c2a571, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on curl.se for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curl | curl | 7.40.0 up to, but not including, 8.14.2; 8.15.0 up to, but not including, 8.16.1; 8.17.0 up to, but not including, 8.20.0; aec2e865f06669b9cb5d26cc1148d70bc418b163 up to, but not including, 74a169575d6412dc0ff532acdf94de35a6c2a571; 8.19.0; 8.18.0; 8.17.0; 8.16.0; and 32 more ranges | 8.14.2, 8.16.1, 8.20.0, 74a169575d6412dc0ff532acdf94de35a6c2a571 |
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
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | NVD |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | CISA (ADP) |
Official description
libcurl might in some circumstances reuse the wrong connection for SMB(S) transfers. 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 network transfer operation that was requested by an application could wrongfully reuse an existing SMB connection to the same server that was using a different "share" than the new subsequent transfer should. This could in unlucky situations lead to the download of the wrong file or the upload of a file to the wrong place. When this happens, the same credentials are used and the server name is the same.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Server-Side Request Forgery
The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- If there is a known list of applications, IP, hostname, and/or domains to which the product is allowed to communicate, then use allowlists to ensure that outgoing requests are restricted to these known entities. The allowlists could be in the application code or possibly enforced by firewalls or network segmentation.
- If the product is expected to be able to connect to arbitrary IP addresses or domains, consider using a denylist that includes private network addresses, internal domain names, etc. The denylist could be in the application code or possibly enforced by firewalls or network segmentation.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: yes, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/29/9Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
Technical write-ups (may include proof of concept)
- hackerone.com/reports/3650689Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
Other vulnerabilities in curl
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
Recent Server-Side Request Forgery vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.6 High severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 7.4 High severity
- 7.7 High severity
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