# CVE-2026-55701: OpenTelemetry Collector githubreceiver auth bypass via missing header check

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-55701-opentelemetry-collector-githubreceiver-auth-bypass-via-missing  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-15. Updated: 2026-06-18  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-55701 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4 · Published 2026-09-15

The OpenTelemetry Collector's GitHub receiver, which processes data from GitHub webhooks, fails to check for required security headers. This allows an attacker to send fake data into a company's monitoring and observability systems, potentially corrupting CI/CD trace data. If no secret is configured, the system has no authentication at all, making it easy for unauthorized parties to inject malicious or misleading information.

Vendors: [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go), [Opentelemetry](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/opentelemetry).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-55701 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-55701 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-55701?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4, published 15 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver (Go) <= 0.150.0, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=0.151.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-55701?** Yes. github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver (Go): upgrade to 0.151.0 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-55701 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-55701?** Check whether you run github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver (Go) or Opentelemetry GitHub Receiver for OpenTelemetry Collector 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.

## How to fix

- github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver (Go): upgrade to 0.151.0 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver@v0.151.0
  ```


## Technical details

The githubreceiver component in opentelemetry-collector-contrib contains an incorrect authorization vulnerability (CWE-863). While the 'required_headers' configuration is validated at startup, the 'handleReq' function in 'trace_receiver.go' fails to check these headers against incoming requests. Furthermore, if the 'Secret' field is left empty, HMAC validation is skipped entirely. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this by sending crafted HTTP POST requests to the webhook endpoint to inject fraudulent CI/CD trace data. The issue is resolved in version 0.151.0.

## Affected products

- OpenTelemetry opentelemetry-collector-contrib/receiver/githubreceiver <= 0.150.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-55701
- GHSA-w5cv-pw74-4rxc
- GO-2026-5690

## Timeline

- 2026-06-15: disclosed: Advisory published to open-telemetry repository
- 2026-06-18: advisory: GitHub Advisory published and reviewed
- 2026-06-18: patched: Fix released in version 0.151.0

## References

- [https://api.github.com/users/kodareef5](https://api.github.com/users/kodareef5)
- [https://github.com/kodareef5](https://github.com/kodareef5)
- [https://api.github.com/users/kodareef5/gists%7B/gist_id%7D](https://api.github.com/users/kodareef5/gists%7B/gist_id%7D)
- [https://api.github.com/users/kodareef5/repos](https://api.github.com/users/kodareef5/repos)
- [https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/261977334?v=4](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/261977334?v=4)
- [https://api.github.com/users/kodareef5/events%7B/privacy%7D](https://api.github.com/users/kodareef5/events%7B/privacy%7D)