How severe is CVE-2026-52824?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-52824 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-52824?

CVE-2026-52824 affects the following packages: kimai/kimai (Packagist). Ecosystems affected: Packagist.

How do I fix CVE-2026-52824?

Update kimai/kimai to 2.58.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-52824 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-52824 in my Packagist dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for kimai/kimai. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-52824 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2026-52824?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-52824 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is CVE-2026-52824 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-52824 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2026-52824?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2026-52824, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2026-52824 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-52824 was published on July 14, 2026 and was last updated on July 14, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐘 Packagist

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2026-52824

CVE-2026-52824 is a security vulnerability in kimai/kimai. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-52824 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.

Kimai: Default APP_SECRET in Docker Image Enables Cookie Forgery and Account Takeover

Published

Jul 14, 2026

Updated

Jul 14, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Jul 14, 2026 · OSV.dev, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐘kimai/kimai

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Summary

The official Kimai Docker image ships with APP_SECRET=change_this_to_something_unique as the default environment variable. The Docker entrypoint does not override or validate this value. Any Kimai instance deployed using the Docker image without explicitly setting APP_SECRET runs with a publicly-known Symfony kernel.secret, enabling an unauthenticated attacker to forge HMAC-signed cookies and login links to take over any account including super_admin.

Details

Dockerfile:263 sets ENV APP_SECRET=change_this_to_something_unique. This value is consumed by config/packages/framework.yaml:7 as kernel.secret, which Symfony uses to HMAC-sign:

The KIMAI_REMEMBER remember-me cookie
LoginLink signatures
Password reset URLs
CSRF tokens

The .docker/entrypoint.sh does not check for or replace the default sentinel value. The bare-metal .env.dist:38 ships the same default. No startup-time guard exists anywhere in the codebase that refuses to start when APP_SECRET equals the sentinel.

User IDs are sequential integers starting from 1. The first super_admin account is almost always id=1. User IDs are visible in some URLs and API responses.

A PoC was provided, but removed for security reasons.

Impact

Any Kimai instance deployed via the official Docker image without overriding APP_SECRET can be compromised from the internet. An unauthenticated attacker who can reach the Kimai URL can forge authentication tokens and log in as any user if:

a username is known AND
the correct account ID for this username is guessed AND
the account has no active 2FA (two factor) authentication

Solution

The entrypoint.sh file is updated and now contains a script that generates a random APP_SECRET via bin2hex(random_bytes(32)) which will be stored in /opt/kimai/var/data/.appsecret
The entrypoint.sh will create the file /opt/kimai/.env.local containing the APP_SECRET, either fetched from the Docker Environment or from the newly created secret file
The documentation was updated to highlight the importance of using a random secret for APP_SECRET
The Dockerfile removed default APP_SECRET=change_this_to_something_unique
Login links now contain more entropy (see GHSA-m492-gv72-xvxj) - so even without all previous changes, attackers won't be able to generate Login links even for installations that have a hard-coded APP_SECRET=change_this_to_something_unique

See https://www.kimai.org/en/security/ghsa-jr9p-4h4j-6c58 for more information.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐘Packagist	`kimai/kimai`	all versions	2.58.0

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for kimai/kimai. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update kimai/kimai to 2.58.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-52824 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-52824 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Tailored to CVE-2026-52824. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Summary The official Kimai Docker image ships with `APP_SECRET=change_this_to_something_unique` as the default environment variable. The Docker entrypoint does not override or validate this value. Any Kimai instance deployed using the Docker image without explicitly setting `APP_SECRET` runs with a publicly-known Symfony `kernel.secret`, enabling an unauthenticated attacker to forge HMAC-signed cookies and login links to take over any account including super_admin. ### Details `Dockerfile:263` sets `ENV APP_SECRET=change_this_to_something_unique`. This value is consumed by `config/packa

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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O3 detects CVE-2026-52824 across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

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