OpenViking: Unauthenticated remote bot control via OpenAPI HTTP routes

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS 4.0

9.1 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N · score source

EPSS

• CVE-2026-40525: 0.57% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 47.29 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

OpenViking prior to commit c7bb167 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VikingBot OpenAPI HTTP route surface where the authentication check fails open when the apikey configuration value is unset or empty. Remote attackers with network access to the exposed service can invoke privileged bot-control functionality without providing a valid X-API-Key header, including submitting attacker-controlled prompts, creating or using bot sessions, and accessing downstream tools, integrations, secrets, or data accessible to the bot.

Published by the source

17 Apr 2026, 21:31 UTC

Last modified by the source

10 Sep 2026, 03:51 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:40 UTC

1. Revision 4 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-jgq2-vq69-gr6h

2. Revision 3 · amended · 25 Oct 2026

   Reviewed OSV alias/range/CVSS4 correction; package source scopes and original publication preserved. No customer finding resolved.

3. Revision 2 · amended · 24 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record GHSA-jgq2-vq69-gr6h

4. Revision 1 · created · 23 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-jgq2-vq69-gr6h

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-40525

Advisory: OpenViking: Unauthenticated remote bot control via OpenAPI HTTP routes
IDs: CVE-2026-40525, GHSA-jgq2-vq69-gr6h
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-40525 (revision 4, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:40 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.1)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: openviking 0.3.9. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI openviking: affected < 0.3.9; fixed in 0.3.9

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show openviking`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on openviking.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jgq2-vq69-gr6h (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-jgq2-vq69-gr6h lists affected ranges: PyPI openviking >=0 <0.3.9)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-jgq2-vq69-gr6h (OSV record GHSA-jgq2-vq69-gr6h lists affected ranges: PyPI openviking >=0 <0.3.9 (fixed))

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