CVE-2026-56265 — Crawl4AI Docker API Authentication Bypass via Hardcoded JWT Signing Key

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

• Documented mitigation — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Crawl4AI Crawl4AI, Kidocode Crawl4ai).
2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
3. Apply the documented mitigations until a definitive fix is available.
4. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (authentication), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-798 · Use of Hard-coded Credentials

Other CVEs with this weakness →

Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates

Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.

Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 2.64%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

• Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
• Review authentication logs: logins without MFA, anomalous sessions and recently created accounts.

Analysis and videos

CVE-2026-56265: Crawl4AI Docker API Authentication Bypass via Hardcoded JWT Signing Key
Crawl4AI versions before 0.8.7 ship a hardcoded default JWT signing key in their Docker API server. Anyone who knows that key can forge tokens for any user and bypass authentication. The record rates it critical (CVSS 3.1 score 9.8), and no confirmed exploitation appears in the sources consulted.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

• 2026
• Affected products added · crawl4ai/crawl4ai
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• SSVC assessment updated
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• Record published
  Oct 13, 2026
• Fix documented
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• CVSS changed · 9.8
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Source status changed · → Analyzed
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Record created in this database
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• CVE published
  Jun 21, 2026 · VulnCheck

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

• 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

3 on the record

• github.com/unclecode/crawl4ai/security/advisories/GHSA-365w-hqf6-vxfg
  Mitigation, Vendor Advisory, vendor-advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.vulncheck.com/advisories/crawl4ai-authentication-bypass-via-hardcoded-jwt-signing-k
  Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• github.com/unclecode/crawl4ai
  Product, product, NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Related CVEs (same products)

• Critical CVE-2026-56260 Crawl4AI - Arbitrary File Write via output_path Parameter Jul 12, 2026
• High CVE-2026-56259 Crawl4AI - LLM Credential Exfiltration via base_url and Environment Variable Resolution Jul 12, 2026
• High CVE-2026-56261 Crawl4AI - Server-Side Request Forgery via Webhook URLs Jul 10, 2026
• High CVE-2026-57573 Crawl4AI unauthenticated SSRF in Docker streaming crawl endpoint Jul 6, 2026
• Critical CVE-2026-57572 Crawl4AI: Unauthenticated RCE via Chromium launch-argument injection in browser_config.extra_args Jul 6, 2026
• Critical CVE-2026-57571 Crawl4AI arbitrary file write via download filename path traversal Jul 6, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

• No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
• No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
• No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-56265 is "Crawl4AI Docker API Authentication Bypass via Hardcoded JWT Signing Key", rated Critical. It affects Crawl4AI (Crawl4AI); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 2.64% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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