Is CVE-2026-57485 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-57485 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-57485?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.5, published 17 August 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Stirling-Tools Stirling-PDF prior to 2.9.0.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-57485?

A patch was published on 2026-04-02: Version 2.9.0 released Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-57485 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a web application.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-57485?

Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. 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.

CVE-2026-57485: Stirling-PDF API key exposure in pipeline requests

CVE-2026-57485 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.5 · Published 2026-08-17

Stirling-PDF is a web application that handles PDF document processing and operations. Prior to version 2.9.0, a flaw allows authenticated users to retrieve the internal backend API key, impersonate the service account, bypass rate limiting, and access sensitive internal endpoints that reveal request metrics and system load information. This could enable attackers to gain unauthorized visibility into system operations and bypass security controls.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-57485 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-57485 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-57485?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.5, published 17 August 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Stirling-Tools Stirling-PDF prior to 2.9.0.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-57485?: A patch was published on 2026-04-02: Version 2.9.0 released Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-57485 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a web application.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-57485?: Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. 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 vulnerability exists in the /api/v1/pipeline/handleData endpoint (PipelineProcessor.java), which injects the STIRLING-PDF-BACKEND-API-USER API key into subrequests made during pipeline processing. An authenticated user with ROLE_USER can then retrieve the exposed key via the /api/v1/user/get-api-key endpoint and use it to impersonate the internal service account. This allows bypassing rate limits and accessing protected internal endpoints including /api/v1/info/requests/all and /api/v1/info/load/all. The attack requires prior authentication but operates over the network with no additional user interaction needed. The fix was released in version 2.9.0.

Affected products

Stirling-Tools Stirling-PDF prior to 2.9.0

Timeline

2026-08-17: disclosed
2026-04-02: patched: Version 2.9.0 released

References

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