What is CVE-2026-42208?
LiteLLM is a proxy server (AI Gateway) to call LLM APIs in OpenAI (or native) format. From version 1.81.16 to before version 1.83.7, a database query used during proxy API key checks mixed the caller-supplied key value into the query text instead of passing it as a separate parameter. An unauthenticated attacker could send a specially crafted Authorization header to any LLM API route (for example POST /chat/completions) and reach this query through the proxy's error-handling path. An attacker could read data from the proxy's database and may be able to modify it, leading to unauthorised access to the proxy and the credentials it manages. This issue has been patched in version 1.83.7.
Timeline
- 2026-04-29First covered in a defend.network daily briefing
- 2026-05-08Published to the U.S. National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-05-08Added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog
- 2026-05-11CISA federal remediation deadline (BOD 22-01)
- 2026-07-15NVD record last updated
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability
BerriAI LiteLLM SQL Injection Vulnerability
Affected product
BerriAI LiteLLM
Remediation Steps
- Identify all systems running the affected software version
- Test patches in isolated lab environment before production deployment
- Deploy patches to production systems during change windows
- Verify patch installation across all affected systems
- Monitor system logs for exploitation attempts
References
- https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/security/advisories/GHSA-r75f-5x8p-qvmc
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-42208
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2463965
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42208
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42208
Referenced in our briefings & reports
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