CRITICAL CVSS 9.4
Published: 2026-04-15

CVE-2026-40173

dgraph dgraph Security Advisory (CVE-2026-40173)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2026-40173 impacting dgraph dgraph. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 9.4 (CRITICAL).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
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/cache_mb, 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.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
Low (A:L)
Partial service performance degradation

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product dgraph / dgraph
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-200

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2026-40173 impacting dgraph dgraph.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2026-40173.yaml
id: cve-2026-40173

info:
  name: dgraph dgraph - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: critical
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2026-40173 affecting dgraph dgraph.
    Evaluation: Dgraph is an open source distributed GraphQL database. Versions 25.3.1 and prior contain an unauthenticated credential disclosure vulnerability where ...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2026-40173
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
    cvss-score: 9.4
    cve-id: CVE-2026-40173
    cwe-id: CWE-200
  tags: cve,cve-2026-40173,dgraph,dgraph,critical

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "dgraph"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2026-40173.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2026-40173
# Target: dgraph dgraph | CVSS: 9.4 (CRITICAL)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2026-40173 (dgraph dgraph)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against dgraph dgraph scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2026-40173.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2026-40173
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install dgraph 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade dgraph 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update dgraph

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i dgraph 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i dgraph

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2026-40173 in dgraph dgraph?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update dgraph dgraph packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2026-40173?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2026-40173?

CVE-2026-40173 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 9.4 (CRITICAL). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
9.4
CRITICAL SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2026-40173
Weakness CWE-200
Vendor dgraph
Product dgraph
Published 2026-04-15
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L