# CVE-2026-44775: Kavita missing authentication in ReaderController image endpoint

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-44775-kavita-missing-authentication-in-readercontroller-image-endpoint  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-05-26. Updated: 2026-05-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-44775 · Severity: info · CVSS 6.9 · Published 2026-05-26

Kavita is a digital library server used for hosting and reading comics, manga, and books. A security flaw allows anyone with network access to view and download every page of every book in the library without logging in. Because the system uses simple sequential numbers to identify content, an attacker can easily automate the theft of the entire library's contents.

Technologies: [Kareadita Kavita](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/kavita). Vendors: [Kareadita](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/kareadita).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-44775 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-44775 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-44775?** Informational severity, with a CVSS score of 6.9, published 26 May 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Kareadita Kavita < 0.9.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44775?** A patch was published on 2026-05-26: Vulnerability fixed in version 0.9.0 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-44775 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-44775?** Check whether you run Kareadita Kavita at an affected version. 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 `ReaderController.GetImage` endpoint in Kavita (prior to 0.9.0) is decorated with the `[AllowAnonymous]` attribute, bypassing standard authentication requirements. Although the endpoint accepts an `apiKey` parameter, the application fails to validate it, accepting any arbitrary string. Because chapter and page IDs are sequential integers, an unauthenticated attacker can perform a Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA) attack to enumerate and retrieve all images across all libraries. The vulnerability is rooted in the lack of both authentication and library-level authorization checks within the `GetImage` method. This was resolved in version 0.9.0 by implementing proper authentication and access controls.

## Affected products

- Kareadita Kavita < 0.9.0

## Timeline

- 2026-05-05: advisory: GitHub Security Lab published advisory GHSA-6gc9-6r8p-5wg2
- 2026-05-26: disclosed: CVE-2026-44775 published to NVD
- 2026-05-26: patched: Vulnerability fixed in version 0.9.0

## References

- [https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita/blob/8c686df2dbc2d0a83120e8b3f8c1269107bb815d/API/Controllers/ReaderController.cs](https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita/blob/8c686df2dbc2d0a83120e8b3f8c1269107bb815d/API/Controllers/ReaderController.cs)
- [https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita/security/advisories/GHSA-6gc9-6r8p-5wg2](https://github.com/Kareadita/Kavita/security/advisories/GHSA-6gc9-6r8p-5wg2)

## Related threats

- [Kavita path traversal in cover upload API](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2022-51024-kavita-0-5-2-before-0-5-4-1-contains-a-path-traversal)
- [Kavita improper authentication via JWT token validation flaw](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-47202-kavita-improper-authentication-via-jwt-token-validation-flaw)
- [Kavita IDOR in download and metadata endpoints](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-44776-kavita-idor-in-download-and-metadata-endpoints)