CVE-2026-33494: Ory Oathkeeper has a path traversal authorization bypass
Description
Ory Oathkeeper is vulnerable to an authorization bypass via HTTP path traversal. An attacker can craft a URL containing path traversal sequences (e.g. /public/../admin/secrets) that resolves to a protected path after normalization, but is matched against a permissive rule because the raw, un-normalized path is used during rule evaluation.
Preconditions
Ory Oathkeeper rules are typically configured with patterns like:
/public/<.> → allow unauthenticated access /admin/<.> → require authentication
Without path normalization, a request to /public/../admin/secrets is matched against the raw path /public/../admin/secrets. This matches the /public/<.> rule, bypassing the authentication required for /admin/secrets. After Ory Oathkeeper permits the request, the upstream server normalizes the path and serves the protected /admin/secrets resource.
Mitigation
Going forward, Ory Oathkeeper normalizes the request path before performing rule matching and before forwarding. The path /public/../admin/secrets is normalized to /admin/secrets, which correctly matches the /admin/<.> rule and triggers authentication.
As an immediate mitigation, all requests reaching Oathkeeper should be normalized, as described in the section below. Oathkeeper should be upgraded to a fixed version as soon as possible.
Defense in depth: Cleaning paths before Oathkeeper
Even after this fix, it is good practice to normalize HTTP paths in the layers in front of Oathkeeper. This provides defense in depth and protects against similar bypasses in other components. The following examples show how to achieve this with common reverse proxies and CDNs.
Nginx
Nginx normalizes paths by default when using proxypass. Alternatively, use $uri (which Nginx normalizes) rather than $requesturi in your matching rules.
Envoy
Enable the normalizepath option (available since Envoy 1.14) to normalize the path components before matching and forwarding. See the <a href="https://www.envoyproxy.io/docs/envoy/latest/api-v3/extensions/filters/network/httpconnectionmanager/v3/httpconnectionmanager.proto#envoy-v3-api-field-extensions-filters-network-http-connection-manager-v3-httpconnectionmanager-normalize-path" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Envoy docs on path normalization</a>.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare normalizes URLs by default. In the Cloudflare dashboard, ensure Normalize incoming URLs is enabled under Rules → Normalization. See the <a href="https://developers.cloudflare.com/rules/normalization/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cloudflare URL normalization docs</a>.
Other sources
ORY Oathkeeper is an Identity & Access Proxy (IAP) and Access Control Decision API that authorizes HTTP requests based on sets of Access Rules. Versions prior to 26.2.0 are vulnerable to an authorization bypass via HTTP path traversal. An attacker can craft a URL containing path traversal sequences (e.g. /public/../admin/secrets) that resolves to a protected path after normalization, but is matched against a permissive rule because the raw, un-normalized path is used during rule evaluation. Version 26.2.0 contains a patch.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-33494?
CVE-2026-33494 is classified as a high-severity vulnerability due to its potential for authorization bypass.
How do I fix CVE-2026-33494?
To remediate CVE-2026-33494, update Ory Oathkeeper to version 0.40.10-0.20260320084758-8e0002140491 or later.
What is the impact of CVE-2026-33494?
CVE-2026-33494 allows an attacker to bypass authorization mechanisms, potentially gaining access to restricted resources.
Which versions of Ory Oathkeeper are affected by CVE-2026-33494?
CVE-2026-33494 affects Ory Oathkeeper versions prior to 0.40.10-0.20260320084758-8e0002140491.
Is CVE-2026-33494 related to HTTP path traversal?
Yes, CVE-2026-33494 is specifically an authorization bypass vulnerability that exploits HTTP path traversal sequences.