# CVE-2026-56259: Crawl4AI credential exfiltration in Docker API server

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-56259-crawl4ai-credential-exfiltration-in-docker-api-server  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-12. Updated: 2026-07-12  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-56259 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.2 · Published 2026-07-12

Crawl4AI is a tool used to crawl websites and prepare data for Large Language Models (LLMs). A security flaw in its Docker API server allows unauthorized individuals to trick the system into sending sensitive information, such as API keys and internal passwords, to a server controlled by the attacker. This could lead to the theft of expensive AI service credentials or a complete takeover of the Crawl4AI server.

Technologies: [crawl4ai (PyPI)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/crawl4ai). Vendors: [PyPI](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/pypi).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-56259 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-56259 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-56259?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.2, published 12 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** crawl4ai (PyPI) ECOSYSTEM:introduced=0,fixed=0.8.8.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-56259?** Yes. crawl4ai (PyPI): upgrade to 0.8.8 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-56259 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-56259?** Check whether you run crawl4ai (PyPI) 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

- crawl4ai (PyPI): upgrade to 0.8.8 or later

  ```sh
  pip install "crawl4ai>=0.8.8"
  ```


## Technical details

Crawl4AI's Docker API server contains two primary vulnerabilities leading to credential exfiltration. First, the /md, /llm, and /llm/job endpoints are unauthenticated by default and honor a user-provided 'base_url' parameter, allowing for Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) where the server sends its configured provider API keys to an attacker-controlled URL. Second, the LLMConfig class improperly resolves environment variables when the 'api_token' is prefixed with 'env:', allowing attackers to read arbitrary server secrets like JWT SECRET_KEY or REDIS_PASSWORD. By combining these, a remote unauthenticated attacker can exfiltrate sensitive environment variables to an external endpoint. The issue is fixed in version 0.8.8 by ignoring request-supplied base URLs and restricting environment variable resolution.

## Affected products

- Crawl4AI Crawl4AI < 0.8.8

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-56259
- GHSA-f989-c77f-r2cq
- PYSEC-2026-3448

## Timeline

- 2026-06-04: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-07-12: disclosed: NVD publication date

## References

- [https://github.com/unclecode/crawl4ai/security/advisories/GHSA-f989-c77f-r2cq](https://github.com/unclecode/crawl4ai/security/advisories/GHSA-f989-c77f-r2cq)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/crawl4ai-llm-credential-exfiltration-via-base-url-and-environment-variable-resolution](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/crawl4ai-llm-credential-exfiltration-via-base-url-and-environment-variable-resolution)

## Related threats

- [Crawl4AI arbitrary file write in Docker API server screenshot and pdf endpoints](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-56260-crawl4ai-arbitrary-file-write-in-docker-api-server-screenshot-and)
- [PYSEC-2026-1281 - Crawl4AI SSRF vulnerability](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-28197-crawl4ai-ssrf-vulnerability)
- [unclecode Crawl4AI SSRF in Docker API streaming path](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-57573-unclecode-crawl4ai-ssrf-in-docker-api-streaming-path)
- [unclecode Crawl4AI remote code execution in Docker API server](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-57572-unclecode-crawl4ai-remote-code-execution-in-docker-api-server)
- [UncleCode Crawl4AI Path Traversal in Crawler Downloads](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-57571-unclecode-crawl4ai-path-traversal-in-crawler-downloads)