Summary
MLflow: Environment variable injection in AI Gateway secrets enables server-side credential exfiltration
Full technical description
A vulnerability in mlflow/mlflow versions prior to 3.11.0 allows for the resolution of environment variables in AI Gateway secrets, which can be exploited to exfiltrate sensitive server-side environment credentials to an attacker-controlled endpoint. This issue arises because the api_key field in gateway secrets can accept $ENV_VAR references, which are resolved against the MLflow server's environment during runtime. The resolved secrets are then sent in provider authentication headers to the configured upstream api_base. This vulnerability can be exploited by low-privileged authenticated users in basic-auth deployments or by unauthenticated users in default deployments without basic-auth. The impact includes potential leakage of sensitive credentials such as cloud artifact credentials (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID, AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY), which could lead to artifact poisoning and cross-boundary code execution in downstream environments. The issue is fixed in version 3.11.0.
Impact
CVE-2026-4035 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.11.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-4035? CVE-2026-4035 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in mlflow (pip), affecting versions < 3.11.0. It is fixed in 3.11.0.
- How severe is CVE-2026-4035? CVE-2026-4035 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of mlflow are affected by CVE-2026-4035? mlflow (pip) versions < 3.11.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-4035? Yes. CVE-2026-4035 is fixed in 3.11.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-4035 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-4035 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2026-4035 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2026-4035? Upgrade
mlflowto 3.11.0 or later.