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CVE-2026-59178 – Authentication Bypass – ESPHome Device Builder Dashboard < 1.0.12

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Summary

CVE-2026-59178 is a critical missing-authentication vulnerability (CWE-306) affecting the ESPHome Device Builder Dashboard prior to version 1.0.12. An environment-variable rename used to configure dashboard authentication silently dropped support for the legacy variable names, causing previously password-protected dashboards to start up with no authentication after an upgrade. The issue carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical).

Technical details

  • Root cause: the dashboard originally read authentication credentials from the $USERNAME and $PASSWORD environment variables. A later release renamed these to $ESPHOME_USERNAME and $ESPHOME_PASSWORD but did not retain a fallback to the legacy names.
  • Trigger condition: any operator who configured dashboard authentication using the older $USERNAME/$PASSWORD variables (as documented in older setup guides) and then upgraded to an affected version had authentication silently disabled — the dashboard started unauthenticated with no warning, particularly in detached/headless container deployments where startup logs are not routinely reviewed.
  • Attack vector: network — no credentials, privileges, or user interaction are required to reach the exposed dashboard.
  • Impact: unauthenticated remote clients could fully manage connected devices, edit device configurations, and flash firmware, resulting in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Deployments using the --username/--password command-line flags, or already using the newer $ESPHOME_* variables, were not affected.

Affected software

  • ESPHome Device Builder (esphome-device-builder): all versions prior to 1.0.12, when dashboard authentication was configured via the legacy $USERNAME and $PASSWORD environment variables.

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: upgrade to ESPHome Device Builder version 1.0.12 or later, which restores backward compatibility with the legacy environment variable names (with a deprecation warning) so protected instances remain protected through the upgrade. The esphome container image ships this fix starting with release 2026.6.2.
  • If unable to upgrade immediately: set the new ESPHOME_USERNAME and ESPHOME_PASSWORD environment variables to the same credentials previously used, on any currently affected version, to restore authentication.
  • Additional mitigation: do not expose the dashboard port directly to untrusted networks; restrict access via firewall rules or a VPN. Review startup logs for a warning banner indicating the dashboard is running without authentication to confirm whether a given instance is currently exposed.

References

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