CVE-2026-40525: OpenViking prior to version 0.3.9 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VikingBot OpenAPI HTT

This week

CRITICAL 9.1REMOTEUPGRADE

CVE-2026-40525 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.1) affecting openviking. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

OpenViking prior to version 0.3.9 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VikingBot OpenAPI HTTP route surface where the authentication check fails open when the api_key configuration value is unset or empty. Remote attackers with network access to the exposed service can invoke privileged bot-control functionality without providing a valid X-API-Key header, including submitting attacker-controlled prompts, creating or using bot se

Why this priority

Critical severity
Public exploit reference
CISA SSVC: automatable with total technical impact
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.1 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.6% (top 53%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-636
Published	2026-04-17
Last modified	2026-10-26

Publisher (CNA): VulnCheck · Vendor: volcengine

Last updated 2026-10-26 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-04-17 19:16 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-10-26 00:10 UTCUpdated Record last modified

volcengine openviking UPGRADE

Affected: < 0.3.9

Fixed in: 0.3.9

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy openviking || rpm -q openviking || openviking --version

2. UPGRADE to 0.3.9 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade openviking

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade openviking

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Exact fixes by distribution

Python (pip) · openviking · FIXED · 0.3.9 · vulnerable: < 0.3.9 · source

pip install --upgrade "openviking>=0.3.9" pip show openviking

Fedora 46 · mingw-qt5-qtwebkit · FIXED · 5.212.0-0.46.alpha4.fc46 · FEDORA-2026-46ae541c22 · source

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=FEDORA-2026-46ae541c22

Fedora ELN · kdominate · FIXED · 26.08.2-2.eln159 · FEDORA-2026-b1d98239fd · source

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=FEDORA-2026-b1d98239fd

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2026-40525?

openviking: upgrade to 0.3.9. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2026-40525 being exploited?

CVE-2026-40525 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2026-40525 affect?

CVE-2026-40525 affects openviking. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.1). OpenViking prior to version 0.3.9 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VikingBot OpenAPI HTTP route surface where the authentication check fails open when the api_key configuration value is unset or empty. Remote attackers

How urgent is CVE-2026-40525?

Priority 57/100. Critical severity; Public exploit reference; CISA SSVC: automatable with total technical impact; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

References

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