---
title: "CVE-2026-53713: Envoy Gateway: Authentication Bypass via Improper Input Validation in EnvoyExtensionPolicy Lua Allows Secret Disclosure"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-53713/
description: "CVE-2026-53713 (github.com/envoyproxy/gateway (Go)): Envoy Gateway is an open source project for managing Envoy Proxy as a standalone or Kubernetes-based…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2026-09-14
date_modified: 2026-09-16
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2026-53713"
kev: false
cvss: 9.1
epss: 0.00433
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2026-53713: Envoy Gateway: Authentication Bypass via Improper Input Validation in EnvoyExtensionPolicy Lua Allows Secret Disclosure

**Signal:** Critical, preconditions apply. Severe if exploited, but exploitation needs conditions that may not apply to you. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- 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 0.4% , percentile 36: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.4% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 36% 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/envoyproxy/gateway (Go) >= 1.8.0-rc.0, < 1.8.1, fixed in 1.8.1 ; github.com/envoyproxy/gateway (Go) < 1.7.4, fixed in 1.7.4 . Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

## What it is

Envoy Gateway is an open source project for managing Envoy Proxy as a standalone or Kubernetes-based application gateway. Prior to 1.7.4 and 1.8.1, toabsolutenormalizedpath in internal/gatewayapi/luavalidator/security.lua does not collapse redundant separators before iscriticalpath evaluates Lua submitted through EnvoyExtensionPolicy during default Strict validation. Linux resolves a double-slash absolute path as the corresponding single-slash path, but the validator does not match the redundant-separator form, allowing submitted Lua to read arbitrary files from the gateway controller pod. Exposed files can include Kubernetes service-account tokens, TLS certificates, and process environment data, and the disclosed credentials can provide access to sensitive Kubernetes API Server or Gateway xDS server information. This issue is fixed in versions 1.7.4 and 1.8.1.

## Affected packages

- Go `github.com/envoyproxy/gateway` >= 1.8.0-rc.0, < 1.8.1 → fixed: 1.8.1
- Go `github.com/envoyproxy/gateway` < 1.7.4 → fixed: 1.7.4

## Affected products (CVE record)

- envoyproxy gateway: < 1.7.4, >= 1.8.0-rc.0, < 1.8.1

## Severity

- GitHub_M CVSS 3.1: 9.1 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L`
- GitHub CVSS 3.1: 9.1 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:L`

## Exploitation

- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none , automatable no , technical impact partial .
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.43% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 36.

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-wcrf-9vrr-854f](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wcrf-9vrr-854f)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2026-53713](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53713)
- [NVD entry CVE-2026-53713](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53713)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/security/advisories/GHSA-wcrf-9vrr-854f)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/pull/9171)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/pull/9172)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/pull/9173)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/commit/5a78db82b7cf4fc5bebbeda2c50952892038a464)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/commit/96e2b750868a459ace4b8b68e6a6e4fb0152b9b7)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/commit/b4737180c7e597490c6363075c565fa8cf24eead)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/releases/tag/v1.7.4)
- [github.com](https://github.com/envoyproxy/gateway/releases/tag/v1.8.1)

---
Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-53713/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt