Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:NSummary
CVE-2026-33494 is a critical-severity Relative Path Traversal (CWE-23) vulnerability in Ory Oathkeeper. Its CVSS base score is 10.0 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 41th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SI-10 (Information Input Validation) and AC-3 (Access Enforcement) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-33494 is an authorization bypass vulnerability in ORY Oathkeeper, an Identity & Access Proxy (IAP) and Access Control Decision API used to authorize HTTP requests based on sets of Access Rules. Versions prior to 26.2.0 are affected due to improper path handling during rule evaluation, allowing HTTP path traversal. Specifically, an attacker can craft a URL with path traversal sequences, such as `/public/../admin/secrets`, where the raw, un-normalized path matches a permissive rule, even though normalization resolves it to a protected path. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N) and is associated with CWE-23 (Relative Path Traversal).
The attack requires no privileges and can be conducted remotely over the network with low complexity. An unauthenticated attacker sends a specially crafted HTTP request to Oathkeeper, exploiting the mismatch between raw path matching in rules and post-normalization resolution. Successful exploitation bypasses authorization controls, granting access to sensitive protected resources, resulting in high confidentiality and integrity impacts with a changed scope.
Mitigation is available in Oathkeeper version 26.2.0, which patches the path normalization issue during rule evaluation. The ORY Oathkeeper security advisory (GHSA-p224-6x5r-fjpm) and the patching commit (8e0002140491c592db41fa141dc6ad68f417e2b2) on GitHub provide full details on the fix and recommend upgrading immediately.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-16285
Vulnerability Data
ORY Oathkeeper is an Identity & Access Proxy (IAP) and Access Control Decision API that authorizes HTTP requests based on sets of Access Rules. Versions prior to 26.2.0 are vulnerable to an authorization bypass via HTTP path traversal. An attacker…
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can craft a URL containing path traversal sequences (e.g. `/public/../admin/secrets`) that resolves to a protected path after normalization, but is matched against a permissive rule because the raw, un-normalized path is used during rule evaluation. Version 26.2.0 contains a patch.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Explicit validation of path inputs stops .. sequences from ever being interpreted by the file system.
Access enforcement directly blocks unauthorized file reads/writes that result from unresolved .. sequences.
Information-flow rules can be configured to reject traversals that would move data outside an approved directory boundary.
Least privilege reduces the set of reachable files even when a traversal succeeds.
Secure-engineering principles require safe pathname construction and input neutralization before any file operation.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and path sanitization that prevent relative traversal.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis, but does not itself implement the fix.
Secure development lifecycle mandates input validation and path-handling controls that directly prevent relative path traversal.
Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against path traversal and other injection flaws.
Secure architecture principles include directory isolation and canonicalization, reducing but not eliminating traversal risk.
Secure coding standards require neutralizing path traversal sequences, directly addressing CWE-23.
Information access restriction limits which files can be reached, mitigating impact but not preventing the traversal flaw.