Summary
OpenStack Swift vulnerable to authenticated server-side request forgery
In OpenStack Swift before 2.37.2, proxy-server does not strip internal update headers (X-Container-Host, X-Container-Device, X-Delete-At-Host, X-Delete-At-Device) from client requests before forwarding them to object-servers. An authenticated user with write access can inject these headers to redirect container update requests to an attacker-controlled server, enabling server-side request forgery. The SSRF requests expose internal cluster metadata including storage policy indexes, partition mappings, device names, and when at rest encryption is enabled, cipher text and initialization vectors for the container-level encryption key. The attacker can also cause "ghost listings" in arbitrary containers via the shard-range redirect mechanism.
Impact
Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside. Typical impact: access to internal metadata services, internal APIs, or cloud credentials.
CVE-2026-50221 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). 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 (2.37.2); 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-2026-50221? CVE-2026-50221 is a medium-severity server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in swift (pip), affecting versions < 2.37.2. It is fixed in 2.37.2. Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside.
- How severe is CVE-2026-50221? CVE-2026-50221 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). 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 swift are affected by CVE-2026-50221? swift (pip) versions < 2.37.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-50221? Yes. CVE-2026-50221 is fixed in 2.37.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-50221 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-50221 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-2026-50221 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-2026-50221? Upgrade
swiftto 2.37.2 or later.