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CVE-2026-73519 – Unauthenticated Root RCE via Hard-Coded Secret – WolfStack ≤ 25.9.1

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Summary

CVE-2026-73519 affects WolfStack, a Rust-based server infrastructure management platform, and stems from a hard-coded cluster authentication secret compiled into every build (CWE-798). The flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to bypass authentication on the management interface and execute arbitrary commands as root inside managed containers. The vulnerability carries a critical severity rating (CVSS v4.0 base score 9.3).

Technical details

  • Root cause: WolfStack ships with a static authentication secret embedded in the compiled binary, used to gate access to the management API.
  • Trigger condition: An attacker sends the hard-coded secret in the X-WolfStack-Secret request header to reach the require_auth() authentication gate without possessing any valid session, API key, or user account. Nodes are exposed if they lack a custom /etc/wolfstack/custom-cluster-secret, were upgraded from older builds retaining default peer configuration, or run with WOLFSTACK_ACCEPT_DEFAULT_SECRET=1.
  • Attack vector: Network — requires only reachability to the WolfStack management port; no authentication or user interaction needed.
  • Impact: Once authenticated as a trusted peer, an attacker can enumerate all Docker and LXC containers on the host and execute arbitrary commands as root inside any container via POST /api/containers/{runtime}/{id}/exec, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the host and its workloads.

Affected software

  • WolfStack versions prior to 25.9.2 (all versions through 25.9.1)
  • Nodes that had already rotated to a per-install secret are not affected

Severity

  • CVSS v4.0 Base Score: 9.3 (CRITICAL) — CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL) — 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 WolfStack to version 25.9.2 or later.
  • If patching is not immediately possible:
    • Rotate the cluster secret via Settings → Security → Rotate cluster secret so a per-install secret replaces the default value.
    • Set the environment variable WOLFSTACK_REJECT_DEFAULT_SECRET=1 and restart the service to reject the hard-coded default.
    • Restrict network access to the WolfStack management port behind a VPN or IP allowlist to prevent unauthenticated remote reachability.

How IONIX identifies potentially affected assets

IONIX matches the following signals against data already collected when it crawled the asset; identifying the technology sends no request beyond that crawl.

  • Meta tag (description): WolfStack Server Management Platform - Login
  • Page title: WolfStack – Login

References

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