CVE-2026-40173: Dgraph: Unauthenticated /debug/pprof/cmdline discloses admin auth token, enabling unauthorized access to protected Alpha admin endpoints

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
• EPSS 0.6%, percentile 48: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 48% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes github.com/dgraph-io/dgraph/v25 (Go) < 25.3.2, fixed in 25.3.2; github.com/dgraph-io/dgraph/v24 (Go) <= 24.1.7, no fixed version listed; github.com/dgraph-io/dgraph (Go) <= 1.2.8, no fixed version listed. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

Dgraph is an open source distributed GraphQL database. Versions 25.3.1 and prior contain an unauthenticated credential disclosure vulnerability where the /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint is registered on the default mux and reachable without authentication, exposing the full process command line including the admin token configured via the --security "token=..." startup flag. An attacker can retrieve the leaked token and reuse it in the X-Dgraph-AuthToken header to gain unauthorized access to admin-only endpoints such as /admin/config/cachemb, bypassing the adminAuthHandler token validation. This enables unauthorized privileged administrative access including configuration changes and operational control actions in any deployment where the Alpha HTTP port is reachable by untrusted parties. This issue has been fixed in version 25.3.2.

From the GitHub advisory

Summary An unauthenticated debug endpoint in Dgraph Alpha exposes the full process command line, including the configured admin token from --security "token=...".

This does not break token validation logic directly; instead, it discloses the credential and enables unauthorized admin-level access by reusing the leaked token in X-Dgraph-AuthToken.

Details The behavior occurs entirely within core Alpha HTTP routing and does not require any external proxy, plugin, or non-core integration.

The core issue is not that admin token protection is absent, but that the protected secret is exposed in cleartext through an unauthenticated core debug endpoint.

Relevant code paths: - dgraph/cmd/alpha/run.go:17 imports net/http/pprof, which registers /debug/pprof/ handlers on the default mux. - dgraph/cmd/alpha/run.go:533 uses http.Handle("/", audit.AuditRequestHttp(baseMux)), so default-mux handlers remain reachable. - dgraph/cmd/alpha/admin.go:52 enforces admin token checks in adminAuthHandler for admin endpoints. - dgraph/cmd/alpha/admin.go:74 shows /admin/config/cachemb behind adminAuthHandler.

Weakness type: CWE-200, CWE-215, CWE-522.

Product: github.com/dgraph-io/dgraph/v25 (Go) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-04-15

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none
• Scope: unchanged

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable yes, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.60% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 48.

Timeline

• 2026-04-15 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2026-04-16 — CVE record last updated
• 2026-04-16 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-95mq-xwj4-r47p published (critical)

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-95mq-xwj4-r47p github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-40173 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-40173 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com
2. github.com github.com

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