CVE-2026-66835 — httpd mod_auth directory protection bypassed by a doubled slash in the request path
Path Equivalence vulnerability in Erlang/OTP inets httpd allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to read files inside a mod_auth protected directory by prefixing the request path with an extra slash. httpd_request:validate_uri/1 normalises the request URI with uri_string:normalize/1, which performs RFC 3986 dot-segment removal but does not collapse empty path segments, so a doubled slash survives. mod_alias:real_name/3 concatenates the document root with that URI, and mod_auth:secret_path/3 then decides whether the result lies inside a protected directory block by running the configured directory path as an unanchored regular expression against it. The doubled slash breaks the contiguous substring the regex needs, so the request is treated as unprotected and no authentication challenge is issued, while mod_get opens the same path and the operating system collapses the doubled slash and returns the protected file. The same path mismatch also evades the per-path accounting in mod_security. This issue affects OTP from OTP 17.0 before OTP 27.3.4.17, from OTP 28.0 before OTP 28.5.0.6, and from OTP 29.0 before OTP 29.0.6, corresponding to inets from 5.10 before 9.3.2.7, from 9.4 before 9.6.2.3, and from 9.7 before 9.7.2. Whether OTP before OTP 17.0, corresponding to inets before 5.10, is affected is unknown.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Technical severity (high)+6
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
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.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
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.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Erlang Erlang/otp).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erlang | Erlang/otp | ≥ 17.0 and < 27.3.4.17≥ 28.0 and < 28.5.0.6≥ 29.0 and < 29.0.6≥ 5.10 and < 9.3.2.7≥ 9.4 and < 9.6.2.3≥ 9.7 and < 9.7.2≥ 84adefa331c4159d432d22840663c38f155cd4c1 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
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.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.2 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 8.2 | CVSS 4.0 | High | — | — | EEF via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/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 (score shown at the top: 6b3ad84c-e1a6-4bf7-a703-f496b71e49db) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
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).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · erlang/otp
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 8.2
- Source status changed · → Deferred
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026
References
7 on the record
- github.com/erlang/otp/commit/bac19eb3dbd96cc49b6d8cabc1c04248bf8c79f6
- github.com/erlang/otp/commit/9641944a2efbf55bea760f8ff7ba777fe3a0961c
- github.com/erlang/otp/commit/d8878dec0ececc2eab18e47bb18b472f224ca633
- github.com/erlang/otp/security/advisories/GHSA-r4vv-vc2c-2fw6
- cna.erlef.org/cves/CVE-2026-66835.html
- www.erlang.org/doc/system/versions.html
- osv.dev/vulnerability/EEF-CVE-2026-66835
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-96596 erl_tar:extract/2 loops forever on a GNU sparse member with a trailing hole 1d
- High CVE-2026-94200 TLS 1.3 client ticket store crashed by NewSessionTicket with empty early_data extension in ssl 1d
- Medium CVE-2026-105236 TLS 1.2 session resumption in ssl crosses SNI virtual-host client-certificate trust boundaries 1d
- High CVE-2026-75538 A Signed Length Overflow in Erlang/OTP's inet TCP Driver Overflows the Receive Buffer Into BEAM VM Memory From an Unauthenticated Peer Sep 1, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-74994 inets, httpd: Authentication Bypass via Directory Namespace Collapse in httpd mod_auth Sep 1, 2026
- High CVE-2026-73812 inets, httpd: HTTP Request Smuggling via Transfer-Encoding and Content-Length Sep 1, 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 FIRST EPSS score.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- 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-2026-66835 is "httpd mod_auth directory protection bypassed by a doubled slash in the request path", rated High. It affects Erlang/otp (Erlang); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.2 describes technical severity. 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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