CVE-2026-33503: Ory Kratos has a SQL injection via forged pagination tokens
Description
The ListCourierMessages Admin API in Ory Kratos is vulnerable to SQL injection due to flaws in its pagination implementation.
Pagination tokens are encrypted using the secret configured in secrets.pagination. An attacker who knows this secret can craft their own tokens, including malicious tokens that lead to SQL injection. If this configuration value is not set, Kratos falls back to a default pagination encryption secret. Because this default value is publicly known, attackers can generate valid and malicious pagination tokens manually for installations where this secret is not set.
Preconditions
This issue can be exploited when the following conditions are met:
- ListCourierMessages API is directly or indirectly accessible to the attacker - The attacker can pass a raw pagination token to the affected API - The configuration value secrets.pagination is not set or known to the attacker
Impact
An attacker can execute arbitrary SQL queries through forged pagination tokens.
Mitigation
As a first line of defense, immediately configure a custom value for secrets.pagination by generating a cryptographically secure random secret, for example:
openssl rand -base64 32
Next, upgrade Kratos to a fixed version as soon as possible.
Other sources
Ory Kratos is an identity, user management and authentication system for cloud services. Prior to version 26.2.0, the ListCourierMessages Admin API in Ory Kratos is vulnerable to SQL injection due to flaws in its pagination implementation. Pagination tokens are encrypted using the secret configured in secrets.pagination. An attacker who knows this secret can craft their own tokens, including malicious tokens that lead to SQL injection. If this configuration value is not set, Kratos falls back to a default pagination encryption secret. Because this default value is publicly known, attackers can generate valid and malicious pagination tokens manually for installations where this secret is not set. As a first line of defense, immediately configure a custom value for secrets.pagination by generating a cryptographically secure random secret. Next, upgrade Kratos to a fixed version, 26.2.0 or later, as soon as possible.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-33503?
CVE-2026-33503 is classified as a critical vulnerability due to its potential for SQL injection attacks.
How do I fix CVE-2026-33503?
To remediate CVE-2026-33503, upgrade your Ory Kratos to version 1.3.1-0.20260320110106-9d7085948039 or later.
What types of attacks can be performed using CVE-2026-33503?
An attacker can exploit CVE-2026-33503 to perform SQL injection attacks, potentially leading to unauthorized data access.
What software is affected by CVE-2026-33503?
CVE-2026-33503 affects the Ory Kratos software, specifically versions prior to 1.3.1-0.20260320110106-9d7085948039.
Is there a workaround for CVE-2026-33503?
Currently, the best course of action is to upgrade to the patched version, as no effective workaround has been documented.