# CVE-2026-72533: Portainer CE authentication bypass in Docker proxy

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-72533-portainer-ce-authentication-bypass-in-docker-proxy  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-08-11. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-72533 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.8 · Published 2026-08-11

Portainer CE is a popular container management platform used to simplify Docker and Kubernetes administration. An authentication bypass vulnerability allows low-privileged authenticated users to exploit URL normalization issues to gain root-level access to the underlying Docker host, bypassing all authorization controls and enabling complete infrastructure compromise.

Technologies: [Portainer CE](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ce). Vendors: [Portainer](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/portainer).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-72533 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-72533 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-72533?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 11 August 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Portainer CE through 2.44.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-72533?** 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-2026-72533 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-72533?** Check whether you run Portainer CE 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

This is an authentication bypass vulnerability in the Docker proxy endpoint caused by insufficient URL normalization before applying authorization middleware. The proxy fails to canonicalize request paths, allowing crafted URLs to be interpreted differently by the authorization layer and the proxy handler. An authenticated user with low privileges can craft non-canonical URLs to bypass access control checks and gain root-level access to the Docker daemon. The vulnerability requires existing authentication credentials but allows privilege escalation from low to root. A patch is expected to normalize URLs before authorization checks are applied.

## Affected products

- Portainer CE through 2.44.0

## Timeline

- 2026-08-11: disclosed

## References

- [https://github.com/portainer/portainer](https://github.com/portainer/portainer)