CVE-2026-71416: headroomlabs-ai headroom · Improper Authentication
Affects headroomlabs-ai headroomSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High : upgrade to 0.35.0 soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 0.35.0
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade headroom and headroomlabs-ai/headroom to 0.35.0.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| headroomlabs-aiheadroom | Affected
| Fixed in
|
GitHubheadroomlabs-ai/headroompkg:github/headroomlabs-ai/headroomOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
As a mitigation, restrict network access to the Headroom WebSocket proxy to trusted clients only. Avoid storing the OpenAI API key in the OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable on publicly accessible or untrusted hosts. Implement custom validation of the Origin header or other authentication mechanisms in the WebSocket handler to prevent unauthorized connections.
Description
CVE-2026-71416 is a high-severity improper authentication vulnerability in the Headroom WebSocket server. The server does not validate the Origin header of incoming WebSocket requests, allowing any client with network access to the proxy to connect without authentication. If the OpenAI API key is stored in the OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable, malicious clients can perform arbitrary LLM requests through the proxy. This enables unauthorized use of OpenAI API capabilities, including executing arbitrary instructions and tools. The vulnerability affects Headroom versions prior to 0.35.0 and has a CVSS score of 8.8.