Critical severity · published Jul 15, 2026
CVE-2026-61740
LightRAG: Authentication bypass: hardcoded DEFAULT_TOKEN_SECRET and public /auth-status defeat LIGHTRAG_API_KEY protection
9.3
CVSS
0.5%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
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.
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.5% · higher than 43% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
LI
LightRAG · HKUDS
< 1.5.4 · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-61740
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-61740
github.com
https://github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/commit/f7819aa3a49a9d8d92eed8251d82d6ebcafa8cba
github.com
https://github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/pull/3319
github.com
https://github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/releases/tag/v1.5.4
github.com
https://github.com/HKUDS/LightRAG/security/advisories/GHSA-f4vv-55c2-5789
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