CVE-2026-27981: HomeBox has an Auth Rate Limit Bypass via IP Spoofing
HomeBox is a home inventory and organization system. Prior to 0.24.0, the authentication rate limiter (authRateLimiter) tracks failed attempts per client IP. It determines the client IP by reading, 1. X-Real-IP header, 2. First entry of X-Forwarded-For header, and 3. r.RemoteAddr (TCP connection address). These headers were read unconditionally. An attacker connecting directly to Homebox could forge any value in X-Real-IP, effectively getting a fresh rate limit identity per request. There is a TrustProxy option in the configuration (Options.TrustProxy, default false), but this option was never read by any middleware or rate limiter code. Additionally, chi's middleware.RealIP was applied unconditionally in main.go, overwriting r.RemoteAddr with the forged header value before it reaches any handler. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.24.0.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-27981?
CVE-2026-27981 is considered to have a medium severity due to the potential for authentication bypass through IP spoofing.
How do I fix CVE-2026-27981?
To fix CVE-2026-27981, upgrade the HomeBox software to version 0.24.0 or later.
What is the impact of CVE-2026-27981 on HomeBox?
The impact of CVE-2026-27981 allows attackers to bypass rate limiting on authentication attempts, potentially leading to unauthorized access.
Which versions of HomeBox are affected by CVE-2026-27981?
Versions of HomeBox prior to 0.24.0 are affected by CVE-2026-27981.
Can CVE-2026-27981 affect users' data security?
Yes, CVE-2026-27981 can compromise users' data security by enabling unauthorized users to gain access to the HomeBox system.