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Fencer Vulns
critical 9.1

CVE-2026-52824 json

Kimai: Default APP_SECRET in Docker Image Enables Cookie Forgery and Account Takeover

published 2026-07-14 3 mo ago modified 2026-09-30 39 d ago also GHSA-jr9p-4h4j-6c58 , EUVD-2026-78402

cvss
9.1
version 4.0, CNA
cisa kev
Not listed
not in CISA's catalog
epss
1.3%
EPSS 1.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 71%
public exploits
0
none known, plus a Nuclei check

Summary

Kimai is an open-source time tracking application. Prior to 2.58.0, the official Docker image sets APP_SECRET to the public value change_this_to_something_unique in Dockerfile, and .docker/entrypoint.sh neither replaces nor rejects that value before Symfony uses it as kernel.secret. An unauthenticated attacker who reaches a deployment that did not override APP_SECRET, knows a username, correctly guesses the account ID associated with that username, and targets an account without active two-factor authentication can forge HMAC-protected authentication artifacts, including KIMAI_REMEMBER cookies and login links, to access the account without its password. The updated entrypoint generates and persists a random secret when no safe operator-provided value exists. This issue is fixed in version 2.58.0.

Patch / fix

  • packagist kimai/kimai 2.58.0

CISA SSVC

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total
Assessed
53 d ago

Exploit prediction

1.33% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 71% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).

Exploits and checks

  • Nuclei template Kimai <= 2.57.0 - Default APP_SECRET Authentication Bypass nuclei detection template

CVSS scores

assigned by version score vector
CNA 4.0 9.1 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CNA 4.0 9.1 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/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

Affected packages

ecosystem package affected fixed in
packagist kimai/kimai
<2.58.0
2.58.0

Affected products

  • kimai kimai

Classification

Weakness
  • CWE-1188 Initialization of a Resource with an Insecure Default

References

Sources

Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.