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Critical · 9.1 Scanner template Public exploit CVE-2026-52824 EUVD-2026-78402GHSA-jr9p-4h4j-6c58

Kimai: Default APP_SECRET in Docker Image Enables Cookie Forgery and Account Takeover

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 16, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M

Vendor: Kimai Project Product: kimai Package: kimai/kimai Ecosystem: Packagist

Description

Kimai is an open-source time tracking application. Prior to 2.58.0, the official Docker image sets APP_SECRET to the public value change_this_to_something_unique in Dockerfile, and .docker/entrypoint.sh neither replaces nor rejects that value before Symfony uses it as kernel.secret. An unauthenticated attacker who reaches a deployment that did not override APP_SECRET, knows a username, correctly guesses the account ID associated with that username, and targets an account without active two-factor authentication can forge HMAC-protected authentication artifacts, including KIMAI_REMEMBER cookies and login links, to access the account without its password. The updated entrypoint generates and persists a random secret when no safe operator-provided value exists. This issue is fixed in version 2.58.0.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
kimai kimai < 2.58.0 —

Public exploits

Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.

Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.

GitHub 1 repository

  • AzureADTrent/CVE-2026-52824 ★ 0 · Aug 4, 2026

    Technical analysis and PoC of CVE-2026-52824: default APP_SECRET in the Kimai Docker image enabling unauthenticated login link forgery. Affects <= 2.57.0, fixed in 2.58.0.

Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.

Automated scanner template

A ready-made Nuclei template detects this vulnerability automatically. Vulnerabilities with public scanner templates are typically probed across the internet soon after the template appears — exposed systems should be patched first.

Source: projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates (MIT) — updated daily. Only links are listed.

Affected packages

EcosystemPackageAffectedFixedRecord
Packagist kimai/kimai < 2.58.0 2.58.0 GHSA-jr9p-4h4j-6c58

References