# CVE-2026-8926: curl password leak in .netrc credential lookup

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-8926-curl-password-leak-in-netrc-credential-lookup  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-03. Updated: 2026-07-03  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-8926 · Severity: info · Published 2026-07-03

A vulnerability in the curl data transfer tool could cause it to accidentally send the wrong password when connecting to a website. If a user provides a specific username in a web address but does not provide a password, curl may mistakenly pull a password belonging to a different user from the system's credential file (.netrc). This could lead to unauthorized access attempts or the unintended disclosure of sensitive login information to a server.

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-8926 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-8926 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-8926?** Informational severity, published 3 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** curl curl 8.11.1 to 8.20.0; curl libcurl 8.11.1 to 8.20.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-8926?** A patch was published on 2026-06-24: Fixed in curl 8.21.0 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-8926 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-8926?** 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

A credential handling flaw exists in curl and libcurl (versions 8.11.1 through 8.20.0) when using .netrc files for authentication. If a URL includes a username but no password (e.g., https://user@example.com/) and the .netrc file does not contain a match for that specific user, curl may incorrectly select and transmit the password of a different user defined for the same host in the .netrc file. This is classified as CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials). The issue was introduced in version 8.11.1 and is resolved in version 8.21.0. Users are advised to upgrade or avoid using .netrc for sensitive authentication data.

## Affected products

- curl curl 8.11.1 to 8.20.0
- curl libcurl 8.11.1 to 8.20.0

## Timeline

- 2026-05-14: disclosed: Reported to the curl project
- 2026-06-17: other: Contacted distros@openwall
- 2026-06-24: patched: Fixed in curl 8.21.0
- 2026-06-24: advisory: Project curl advisory published
- 2026-07-03: other: NVD published date

## References

- [https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2026-8926.html](https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2026-8926.html)
- [https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2026-8926.json](https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2026-8926.json)
- [https://hackerone.com/reports/3735184](https://hackerone.com/reports/3735184)