CVE-2026-42208
Published: April 28, 2026· Updated: May 8, 2026
Official Description
LiteLLM is a proxy server (AI Gateway) to call LLM APIs in OpenAI (or native) format. From version 1.81.16 to before version 1.83.7, a database query used during proxy API key checks mixed the caller-supplied key value into the query text instead of passing it as a separate parameter. An unauthenticated attacker could send a specially crafted Authorization header to any LLM API route (for example POST /chat/completions) and reach this query through the proxy's error-handling path. An attacker could read data from the proxy's database and may be able to modify it, leading to unauthorised access to the proxy and the credentials it manages. This issue has been patched in version 1.83.7.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-42208 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.
CISA has added CVE-2026-42208 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. U.S. federal agencies are required to patch this within the mandated timeframe, and all organizations should treat remediation as urgent.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
News & Research Mentioning CVE-2026-42208
CISA has added one new vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. CVE-2026-42208 BerriAI LiteLLM SQL Injection Vulnerability This type of vulnerability is a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and poses significant risks to the federal enterprise. Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities established the KEV Catalog as a living list of known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) that carry significant risk to the federal enterprise. BOD 22-01 requires Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to remediate identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect FCEB networks against active threa [xlite_meta score:48 src:CISA Alerts xlite_fp:9a98cd226690645599b848078f5095c8d82439541f0b5a588185ed690533aff9]
In yet another instance of threat actors quickly jumping on the exploitation bandwagon, a newly disclosed critical security flaw in BerriAI's LiteLLM Python package has come under active exploitation in the wild within 36 hours of the bug becoming public knowledge. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-42208 (CVSS score: 9.3), is an SQL injection that could be exploited to modify the underlying [xlite_meta score:53 src:The Hacker News xlite_fp:e0bd47907b3f8fdd2235a2125c3692fb583f92622135bbf272703f9e32d4ebeb]
Hackers are targeting sensitive information stored in the LiteLLM open-source large-language model (LLM) gateway by exploiting a critical vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-42208. [...] [xlite_meta score:64 src:BleepingComputer xlite_fp:69f6d6309b61a026d926aa49205d046efd02cf41a61a04cebbe2566bed24828e]
All References (3)
Quick Facts
Known Threat Actors
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2026-42208 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
- !CISA KEV: Federal agencies must patch per BOD 22-01 timeline
- !Active exploitation confirmed — treat as P1