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CVE-2026-52824— Kimai: Default APP_SECRET in Docker Image Enables Cookie Forgery and Account Takeover

Quick assessment

Affected
kimai kimai
Exploitation
Public or AI PoC available; prioritize validation
Recommended action
Check the vendor advisory and references for a fixed version. If immediate upgrade is impossible, restrict exposure and increase monitoring.

Kimai 是一款开源的时间追踪应用。在 2.58.0 版本之前，官方 Docker 镜像在 Dockerfile 中将 硬编码为一个公开的默认值 。与此同时， 脚本在进入运行时既不会替换该值，也不会对其进行校验，导致 Symfony 框架直接使用此值作为 。 在这种配置下，一个未认证的攻击者，如果在某个部署中 未被操作员覆盖（即仍使用默认值），并且已知某个用户的用户名、能准确推断出该用户名对应的账户 ID，且目标账户未启用双因素认证（2FA），则可以通过伪造受 HMAC 保护的认证数据——例如 Cookie 和登

CVSS 9.1 · Critical

Public Exploits 1

Nuclei · 1 CVE-2026-52824.yaml [template]
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I. Basic Information for CVE-2026-52824

Vulnerability Information
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Vulnerability Title
Kimai: Default APP_SECRET in Docker Image Enables Cookie Forgery and Account Takeover
Source: CVE Program / CVE List V5
Vulnerability 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.
Source: CVE Program / CVE List V5
CVSS Information
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Source: CVE Program / CVE List V5
Vulnerability Type
不安全的默认资源初始化
Source: CVE Program / CVE List V5

Affected Products

Vendor Product Affected Versions CPE Subscribe
kimai kimai < 2.58.0 -

II. Public POCs for CVE-2026-52824

# POC Description Source Link Shenlong Link
1 Kimai Docker images <= 2.57.0 ship with a hardcoded APP_SECRET of "change_this_to_something_unique". This default secret is used by Symfony's SignatureHasher to HMAC-sign login links and remember-me cookies. An unauthenticated attacker who knows this default secret can forge valid authentication tokens and hijack any user account, including the super-admin. https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2026/CVE-2026-52824.yaml POC Details
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III. Intelligence Information for CVE-2026-52824

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Patches & Fixes for CVE-2026-52824 (1)

Vendor Advisories for CVE-2026-52824 (2)

Vendor Pages for CVE-2026-52824 (1)

Same Patch Batch · kimai · 2026-09-15 · 10 CVEs total

CVE-2026-52827 7.1 HIGH Kimai: Two-factor authentication bypass on the Kimai API
CVE-2026-52819 6.3 MEDIUM Kimai: Teamlead authorization bypass in GET /api/timesheets allows reading other users' ti
CVE-2026-52825 5.3 MEDIUM Kimai: Improper Authorization in Kimai Team Member and Team Activity Assignment APIs Allow
CVE-2026-52820 5.3 MEDIUM Kimai: Timesheet PATCH/POST allows assigning to project outside user's team via query_buil
CVE-2026-52823 5.3 MEDIUM Kimai: Login CSRF in Kimai Timesheet Stop and Restart API Endpoints Allows Unauthorized St
CVE-2026-52821 5.3 MEDIUM Kimai: Improper Authorization in Kimai Activity Creation with Preset Project Allows Creati
CVE-2026-52826 5.3 MEDIUM Kimai: Improper Authorization in Kimai Project, Customer, and Activity Rate Edit Endpoints
CVE-2026-52828 5.3 MEDIUM Kimai: ExportTemplate CRUD Missing Authorization Check Allows Unauthorized TEAMLEAD Access
CVE-2026-52822 5.3 MEDIUM Kimai: Improper Authorization in Kimai Timesheet Restart and Duplicate Allows New Timeshee

IV. Related Vulnerabilities

Same product: kimai
Same vendor: kimai
Same weakness: CWE-1188

V. Comments for CVE-2026-52824

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