# CVE-2026-123041: Kong Gateway request-callout plugin cache bypass

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-123041-the-request-callout-plugin-in-kong-gateway-enterprise-and-kong  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-11-10. Updated: 2026-11-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-123041 · Severity: info · Published 2026-11-10

Kong Gateway Enterprise and Kong AI Gateway, which manage API traffic and AI workloads, include a request-callout plugin that caches responses from external services. The plugin fails to include all relevant request headers in its cache key, allowing an attacker to retrieve cached responses intended for a different user by making requests with incomplete headers.

Technologies: [Kong AI Gateway](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/kong-ai-gateway), [Kong Gateway Enterprise](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/gateway-enterprise). Vendors: [Kong](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/kong).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-123041 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-123041 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-123041?** Informational severity, published 10 November 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Kong Gateway Enterprise; Kong AI Gateway.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-123041?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-123041 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-123041?** Check whether you run Kong AI Gateway or Kong Gateway Enterprise. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The request-callout plugin in Kong creates a cache key for responses that omits callout headers not sent by the client. This allows an attacker to bypass the cache key by not providing certain headers that another client sent, causing the server to return a cached response originally computed for a different client. The vulnerability affects cached responses from external callout services, potentially exposing data from one user to another.

## Affected products

- Kong Gateway Enterprise
- Kong AI Gateway

## Timeline

- 2026-11-10: disclosed

## References

- [https://developer.konghq.com/ai-gateway/changelog/](https://developer.konghq.com/ai-gateway/changelog/)
- [https://developer.konghq.com/gateway/changelog/](https://developer.konghq.com/gateway/changelog/)

## Related threats

- [Kong Gateway Enterprise ai-azure-content-safety plugin bypass](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96437-the-ai-azure-content-safety-plugin-in-kong-gateway-enterprise)
- [Kong Gateway Enterprise cache key injection via separator characters](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-92558-the-proxy-cache-and-proxy-cache-advanced-plugins-in-kong-gateway)
- [Kong Gateway Enterprise cache key omission vulnerability](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-92545-the-proxy-cache-and-proxy-cache-advanced-plugins-in-kong-gateway)
- [Kong Gateway Enterprise cache poisoning via Authorization header](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-92443-the-caching-plugins-in-kong-gateway-enterprise-and-kong-ai)
- [Kong Gateway Enterprise graphql-proxy-cache-advanced cache key bypass](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-92442-the-graphql-proxy-cache-advanced-plugin-in-kong-gateway)