CVE-2026-55701 is a medium-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver (go), affecting versions <= 0.150.0. It is fixed in 0.151.0.
githubreceiver Silently Ignores Configured requiredheaders Authentication Summary The githubreceiver webhook handler does not enforce the requiredheaders configuration. Headers are validated at startup (config rejects empty keys/values) but never checked on incoming requests. This follows the same pattern as GHSA-prf6-xjxh-p698 (awsfirehosereceiver auth bypass). Verified against current main. Details In receiver/githubreceiver/config.go, the RequiredHeaders field is defined (line 45) and validated at startup (lines 93-101). But receiver/githubreceiver/tracereceiver.go in handleReq() (lines 131-185) never references RequiredHeaders. The gitlabreceiver enforces the same config correctly at receiver/gitlabreceiver/tracesreceiver.go:266-270: for key, value := range gtr.cfg.WebHook.RequiredHeaders { if r.Header.Get(key) != string(value) { return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", errInvalidHeader, key) } } Amplifying factor The Secret field defaults to empty and has no validation requiring it to be set. With an empty secret, github.ValidatePayload skips HMAC validation entirely. An operator who configures required_headers as their authentication mechanism (without setting secret) has zero authentication on the webhook endpoint. Impact An attacker can send arbitrary webhook payloads to the githubreceiver endpoint, bypassing the operator configured authentication. This allows injecting fake CI/CD trace data into the observability pipeline. Suggested Fix Add RequiredHeaders enforcement to handleReq(), matching the gitlabreceiver pattern.
The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.
go
github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver (<= 0.150.0)github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver → 0.151.0 (go)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.
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Already deployed Kodem? See CVE-2026-55701 in your environment →Upgrade github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver to 0.151.0 or later to resolve this vulnerability.
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CVE-2026-55701 is a medium-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver (go), affecting versions <= 0.150.0. It is fixed in 0.151.0. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver (go) versions <= 0.150.0 is affected.
Yes. CVE-2026-55701 is fixed in 0.151.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-55701 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
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.
Upgrade github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver to 0.151.0 or later.