CVE-2026-5545
CWE-613Published: May 13, 2026· Updated: May 13, 2026
Official Description
libcurl might in some circumstances reuse the wrong connection when asked to
do an authenticated HTTP(S) request after a Negotiate-authenticated one, when
both use the same host.
libcurl features a pool of recent connections so that subsequent requests can
reuse an existing connection to avoid overhead.
When reusing a connection a range of criteria must be met. Due to a logical
error in the code, a request that was issued by an application could
wrongfully reuse an existing connection to the same server that was
authenticated using different credentials.
An application that first uses Negotiate authentication to a server with
`user1:password1` and then does another operation to the same server asking
for any authentication method but for `user2:password2` (while the previous
connection is still alive) - the second request gets confused and wrongly
reuses the same connection and sends the new request over that connection
thinking it uses a mix of user1's and user2's credentials when it is in fact
still using the connection authenticated for user1...
Technical Analysis
CVE-2026-5545 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 full integrity compromise (data manipulation), with a CVSS base score of 6.5.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (4)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-613)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2026-5545 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts