LightRAG is Vulnerable to Authentication Bypass: hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET and public /auth-status defeat LIGHTRAG_API_KEY protection

Exploitation

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

CVSS 4.0

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-61740: 0.51% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 43.51 (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.

Summary When LightRAG is deployed with LIGHTRAGAPIKEY set but AUTHACCOUNTS unset (an officially documented "API-Key authentication" mode), the X-API-Key protection can be bypassed by any remote unauthenticated attacker. The bypass does not require network contact with the victim server — an attacker can mint a valid guest JWT offline using the hardcoded DEFAULTTOKENSECRET committed in the repository and then call any endpoint guarded by Depends(combinedauth), including destructive operations such as DELETE /documents, POST /documents/upload, /documents/clearcache, and POST /query. This is distinct from the previously-fixed GHSA-mcww-4hxq-hfr3 / CVE-2026-30762, which only covered the AUTHACCOUNTS-configured case. The API-Key-only deployment profile is still fully exploitable on current main (commit 157c331, v1.4.15). Root cause Three independent issues combine: 1. lightrag/api/config.py:54 ships a hardcoded default JWT secret: 2. lightrag/api/auth.py:28-38 falls back to…

Published by the source

20 Jul 2026, 21:46 UTC

Last modified by the source

23 Jul 2026, 15:11 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:49 UTC

1. Revision 4 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789

2. Revision 3 · amended · 24 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-f4vv-55c2-5789

4. Revision 1 · created · 23 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-61740

Advisory: LightRAG is Vulnerable to Authentication Bypass: hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET and public /auth-status defeat LIGHTRAG_API_KEY protection
IDs: CVE-2026-61740, GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-61740 (revision 4, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:49 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.3)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: lightrag-hku 1.5.4. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI lightrag-hku: affected < 1.5.4; fixed in 1.5.4

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show lightrag-hku`: 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 lightrag-hku.
- 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-f4vv-55c2-5789 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789 lists affected ranges: PyPI lightrag-hku >=0 <1.5.4)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789 (OSV record GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789 lists affected ranges: PyPI lightrag-hku >=0 <1.5.4 (fixed))

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