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CVE-2026-57572 – Unauthenticated RCE via Chromium Argument Injection – Crawl4AI Docker API prior …

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Summary

CVE-2026-57572 is a critical argument injection vulnerability in the Crawl4AI Docker API server, affecting all versions prior to 0.9.0. The flaw allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to inject arbitrary Chromium launch switches through the request-supplied browser_config.extra_args field, causing Chromium to fork or execute an attacker-controlled command as the container’s runtime user. Because the Docker API requires no authentication by default, a single HTTP request is sufficient to achieve full remote code execution (RCE), resulting in a maximum CVSS v3.1 score of 10.0 (Critical).

Technical details

  • Root cause: The Docker API server accepted user-supplied values in browser_config.extra_args and passed them directly into Chromium’s launch arguments without adequate validation. A prior partial fix introduced in v0.8.9 applied a denylist scoped only to proxy- and DNS-related flags, which was insufficient to block command-execution switches.
  • Trigger conditions: An attacker sends a crafted HTTP POST request to any of the API’s crawl endpoints — /crawl, /crawl/stream, or /crawl/job — embedding malicious entries in the browser_config.extra_args field.
  • Attack mechanism: The injected switches — such as --utility-cmd-prefix, --renderer-cmd-prefix, --gpu-launcher, or --browser-subprocess-path combined with --no-zygote — instruct Chromium to replace its normal child-process launch command with an attacker-controlled binary or shell command, which Chromium then forks or execs directly.
  • Authentication requirement: None. The Docker API server ships with no authentication enabled by default, meaning any network-accessible instance can be exploited without credentials or prior access.
  • Impact: Full arbitrary command execution as the container’s runtime user, yielding complete loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The CVSS Scope metric is "Changed," reflecting that exploitation can affect resources beyond the vulnerable Crawl4AI container itself.
  • CWEs: CWE-88 (Argument Injection), CWE-94 (Code Injection).

Affected software

  • Crawl4AI (Docker API server) — all versions prior to 0.9.0

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 10.0 (Critical)
  • Vector String: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: Upgrade Crawl4AI to version 0.9.0 or later. In v0.9.0, request-supplied browser_config.extra_args are rejected at the network boundary with an HTTP 400 response. Authentication is enforced by default, and the server binds to loopback (127.0.0.1) unless a valid API token is explicitly configured via the CRAWL4AI_API_TOKEN environment variable.
  • If immediate patching is not possible: Restrict network access to the Docker API port (default: 11235) via firewall rules or network ACLs so it is not reachable from untrusted networks. Do not expose the API directly to the internet. If remote access is required, place the service behind a TLS-terminating reverse proxy with authentication enforced at the proxy layer.

IONIX Status

The IONIX research team is tracking ongoing exploitation attempts and recommends immediate patching. Potentially affected assets are outlined in this post.

References

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