What is CVE-2026-52824?
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.
The record classifies CVE-2026-52824 under weakness class CWE-1188. 1 affected-product entry is recorded, across 1 vendor, listed below. The identifier was first published 50 days ago.
Severity and exploitation probability
- CVSS v4.0 base score
- 9.1 — Critical (derived from score)
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 - EPSS (FIRST)
- 1.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 70.3% of all scored CVEs
- CISA KEV
- Not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- Threadlinqs priority
- 9.9/10 — a Threadlinqs composite of the CVSS base score, the EPSS percentile and public exploit availability
- Published
- 2026-09-15, last modified 2026-09-16
Is CVE-2026-52824 being exploited?
Weaponised exploit code for CVE-2026-52824 is publicly available. 1 public proof-of-concept repository is tracked for this identifier. A ProjectDiscovery Nuclei detection template exists (http/cves/2026/CVE-2026-52824.yaml). It currently carries a trending score of 56 in the Threadlinqs vulnerability feed.
- AzureADTrent/CVE-2026-52824 (github)
Affected products and versions
- kimai: kimai
Affected software packages:
composer:kimai/kimai— patched in 2.58.0
How to fix CVE-2026-52824
Fixed versions are recorded for 1 package: composer:kimai/kimai 2.58.0. No vendor patch reference has been recorded for CVE-2026-52824 in the tracked sources. Follow the references below for a fix, and treat the products listed above as exposed until the vendor states otherwise.
Threat activity tracking CVE-2026-52824
1 tracked threat in the Threadlinqs corpus references CVE-2026-52824, either in the campaign’s CVE list or as an indicator on the campaign record.
- CVE-2026-52824: Kimai Docker Image Hardcoded APP_SECRET Enables Account Takeover — HIGH · 2026-07-20
Sources
Enriched from CVE.org, FIRST EPSS, GitHub Security Advisories, public proof-of-concept repositories, ProjectDiscovery Nuclei. Last verified by Threadlinqs on .