CVE-2026-41491

A vulnerability has been found in Dapr that allows bypassing access control policies for service invocation using reserved URL characters and path traversal sequences in method paths. The ACL normalized the method path independently from the dispatch layer, so the ACL evaluated one path while the target application received a different one.

Users who have configured access control policies for service invocation are strongly encouraged to upgrade Dapr to the respective patch version 1.17.5, 1.16.14, and 1.15.14.

Details

Dapr supports access control policies for service invocation, which allow operators to restrict which methods an application is permitted to call on a target app. When a request arrives, Dapr evaluates the method path against the configured policy before dispatching to the target.

Prior to this fix, the ACL and the dispatch layer normalized the method path independently. The ACL used purell.NormalizeURLString, which decoded %XX sequences, resolved ../, and stripped # and ? as URL delimiters. The dispatch layer used the raw method string. This mismatch meant the ACL authorized one path while the target application received a different one.

For example, a method of admin%2F..%2Fpublic was normalized by the ACL to public (allowed), but the target application received admin/../public.

The gRPC API was the more dangerous vector because gRPC passes method strings raw, #, ?, ../, and control characters were all delivered literally with no client-side sanitization.

References

This PR signaled to us about the CVE, special thanks to @dbconfession78 for the efforts here and the original PR.

This vulnerability impacts Dapr users who have configured access control policies for service invocation. An attacker who can reach the Dapr HTTP or gRPC API could:

• Use encoded path traversal (ex: admin%2F..%2Fpublic) to reach an allowed path while the method started from a denied prefix.
• Use encoded fragment (%23) or query (%3F) characters to cause the ACL to evaluate a different path than what was delivered to the target application.

Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.

CVE-2026-41491 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). 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 (1.17.5, 1.16.14, 1.15.14); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Users should upgrade immediately to their respective Dapr version 1.17.5, 1.16.14, and 1.15.14.

1. What is CVE-2026-41491? CVE-2026-41491 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in github.com/dapr/dapr (go), affecting versions >= 1.17.0-rc.1, < 1.17.5. It is fixed in 1.17.5, 1.16.14, 1.15.14. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-41491? CVE-2026-41491 has a CVSS score of 8.1 (High). 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.
3. Which versions of github.com/dapr/dapr are affected by CVE-2026-41491? github.com/dapr/dapr (go) versions >= 1.17.0-rc.1, < 1.17.5 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-41491? Yes. CVE-2026-41491 is fixed in 1.17.5, 1.16.14, 1.15.14. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-41491 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-41491 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-41491 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-41491?
   • Upgrade github.com/dapr/dapr to 1.17.5 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/dapr/dapr to 1.16.14 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/dapr/dapr to 1.15.14 or later