Executive brief
Renovate is a tool that automatically updates dependencies in software projects, including container images. When fetching container image metadata from a registry, Renovate can be tricked by a malicious or compromised registry into sending authentication credentials to an attacker-controlled server. An attacker with control of a container registry used by the target organization could steal credentials in a single request.
Technical details
Renovate follows HTTP Link header pagination when listing container image tags and digests from a registry, but fails to validate that pagination URLs share the same origin as the original registry endpoint. This allows a malicious or compromised container registry to inject a Link header pointing to an attacker-controlled host. When Renovate requests the next page, it attaches the same registry credentials (authentication tokens) to the cross-origin request, enabling credential exfiltration. The vulnerability is a same-origin policy bypass (CWE-601). Exploitation requires the target to have container (Docker) image dependencies and to be actively interacting with a malicious or compromised registry. The issue is patched in Renovate 44.11.2 (npm/npm and renovate/renovate Docker images), Mend Renovate CE/EE 15.4.0, and mend-renovate-enterprise-edition Helm chart 10.4.0. A workaround flag (RENOVATE_X_DOCKER_PAGINATION_ALLOW_CROSS_ORIGIN) exists but should only be used when intentional cross-origin pagination is required.
Affected products
- Renovate Renovate < 44.11.2
- Mend Renovate CE < 15.4.0
- Mend Renovate EE < 15.4.0
- Mend mend-renovate-enterprise-edition Helm Chart < 10.4.0
Timeline
- 2026-08-27: disclosed
- 2026-09-10: advisory