CVE-2026-52855: Wings exposes node configuration secrets through egg configuration-file templating

Should you act?

Critical, preconditions apply

Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.5%, percentile 42: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 42% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes github.com/pterodactyl/wings (Go) < 1.12.3, fixed in 1.12.3. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

Wings is the server control plane for Pterodactyl, a free, open-source game server management panel. Prior to 1.12.3, {{config.}} placeholders in egg configuration-file templates allow a low-privileged user to read {{config.token}}, {{config.tokenid}}, and {{config.docker.registries}} from the full daemon configuration. This issue is fixed in version 1.12.3.

From the GitHub advisory

Impact

Type: Exposure of sensitive information / insufficiently protected credentials leading to privilege escalation and full node compromise.

Wings exposes its entire daemon configuration to the egg configuration-file templating engine. When Wings renders a server's configuration files, any {{config. }} placeholder in a replacement value is resolved against the full marshalled daemon configuration, with no restriction on which paths may be read.

Because the Panel substitutes user-controlled egg variable values into these replacements before sending them to Wings, a low-privileged user can smuggle a {{config.}} placeholder through a variable value. The placeholder is then resolved by Wings and written into a file inside the user's own server, where it can be read via the file manager or SFTP.

This allows reading, among other values:

Weakness type: CWE-200, CWE-522.

Product: github.com/pterodactyl/wings (Go) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2026-07-31

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Privileges required: low (any account)
• User interaction: none
• Scope: changed (can affect other components)

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 none, automatable no, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.51% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 42.

Timeline

• 2026-07-31 — CVE record last updated
• 2026-07-31 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2026-07-31 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-pfvc-3p5h-x7h6 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-pfvc-3p5h-x7h6 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2026-52855 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2026-52855 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

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

Critical Go advisories · Today’s Security Digest