LightRAG: Authentication bypass: hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET and public /auth-status defeat LIGHTRAG_API_KEY protection
LightRAG provides simple and fast retrieval-augmented generation. Prior to 1.5.4, when LightRAG is deployed with LIGHTRAG_API_KEY set but AUTH_ACCOUNTS unset, X-API-Key protection can be bypassed because lightrag/api/auth.py falls back to a hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET, /auth-status and /login can mint guest JWTs, and combined_dependency in lightrag/api/utils_api.py accepts a valid guest token before checking the API key. A remote unauthenticated attacker can call endpoints guarded by combined_auth, including document read, upload, deletion, graph mutation, and query endpoints. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.5.4.
- Products
- Not specified
- Affected versions
- Not specified
- Fixed versions
- Not specified
- CVEs
- CVE-2026-61740
- Confirmed fixed CVEs
- Not specified
- Updated in this feed
- 7 Nov 2026, 04:12 UTC · Revision 1
Source evidence
LightRAG: Authentication bypass: hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET and public /auth-status defeat LIGHTRAG_API_KEY protection
core-osv · Original sourcePublished 15 Jul 2026, 14:14 UTC
LightRAG provides simple and fast retrieval-augmented generation. Prior to 1.5.4, when LightRAG is deployed with LIGHTRAG_API_KEY set but AUTH_ACCOUNTS unset, X-API-Key protection can be bypassed because lightrag/api/auth.py falls back to a hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET, /auth-status and /login can mint guest JWTs, and combined_dependency in lightrag/api/utils_api.py accepts a valid guest token before checking the API key. A remote unauthenticated attacker can call endpoints guarded by combined_auth, including document read, upload, deletion, graph mutation, and query endpoints. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.5.4.
osv:CVE-2026-61740
Complete source record
{
"id": "c61a89d0aaa5bb89aaab0ece6313e38fdc69771c6c642a2897b7c87bfd0e0de7",
"url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-61740",
"method": "structured",
"payload": {
"kind": "advisory",
"title": "LightRAG: Authentication bypass: hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET and public /auth-status defeat LIGHTRAG_API_KEY protection",
"summary": "LightRAG provides simple and fast retrieval-augmented generation. Prior to 1.5.4, when LightRAG is deployed with LIGHTRAG_API_KEY set but AUTH_ACCOUNTS unset, X-API-Key protection can be bypassed because lightrag/api/auth.py falls back to a hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET, /auth-status and /login can mint guest JWTs, and combined_dependency in lightrag/api/utils_api.py accepts a valid guest token before checking the API key. A remote unauthenticated attacker can call endpoints guarded by combined_auth, including document read, upload, deletion, graph mutation, and query endpoints. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.5.4.",
"evidence": "osv:CVE-2026-61740",
"products": [],
"severity": "critical",
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"id": "CVE-2026-61740",
"aliases": [
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"GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789",
"PYSEC-2026-3475"
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"type": "CVSS_V4",
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"database_specific": {
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],
"modified": "2026-10-28T02:30:49.434514402Z",
"provider": "osv",
"references": [
"https://github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/releases/tag/v1.5.4",
"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/61xxx/CVE-2026-61740.json",
"https://github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/security/advisories/GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789",
"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-61740",
"https://github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/commit/f7819aa3a49a9d8d92eed8251d82d6ebcafa8cba",
"https://github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/pull/3319"
],
"provider_metadata": {
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"CWE-798"
],
"cna_assigner": "GitHub_M",
"osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/61xxx/CVE-2026-61740.json"
}
},
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"evidence": "/id"
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"security_relevant": true,
"severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
},
"source_id": "core-osv",
"document_id": 518032,
"published_at": "2026-07-15T14:14:41.064+00:00"
}