CVE-2026-54764: Traefik · ForwardAuth middleware leaks X-Forwarded-Port spoofing via untrusted X-Forwarded-Proto when trustForwardHeader=false

## Summary There is a medium severity vulnerability in Traefik's ForwardAuth middleware. Even when configured with `trustForwardHeader: false`, Traefik derives the `X-Forwarded-Port` header sent to the authentication service from the original incoming request instead of the sanitized forwarded request. As a result, an unauthenticated remote attacker can inject an `X-Forwarded-Proto: https` header over a plain HTTP connection and cause Traefik to forward `X-Forwarded-Port: 443` to the auth service, bypassing port-based authorization checks. This is a regression of the incomplete fix for GHSA-6384-m2mw-rf54, which addressed the `X-Forwarded-Proto` and `X-Forwarded-Prefix` spoofing vectors but missed the `X-Forwarded-Port` vector. ## Patches - https://github.com/traefik/traefik/releases/tag/v2.11.51 - https://github.com/traefik/traefik/releases/tag/v3.6.22 - https://github.com/traefik/traefik/releases/tag/v3.7.6 ## For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please [open an issue](https://github.com/traefik/traefik/issues). <details> <summary>Original Description</summary> ### Summary The ForwardAuth middleware, even when configured with `trustForwardHeader: false`, still derives the `X-Forwarded-Port` header sent to the authentication service by reading the **attacker-controlled** `X-Forwarded-Proto` header from the original incoming request. This allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to cause Traefik to forward `X-Forwarded-Port: 443` to the auth service on a plain HTTP connection, creating an inconsistency that can bypass port-based authorization checks. ### Details The fix introduced in commit `5e1de2258` (released as part of the April 2026 security advisory GHSA-6384-m2mw-rf54) correctly strips all X-Forwarded-* headers from the forwarded auth request when `trustForwardHeader=false`, and reconstructs `X-Forwarded-Proto` from the actual TLS state of the connection (`req.TLS`). However, the reconstruction of `X-Forwarded-Port` is delegated to the helper `forwardedPort(req)` which receives the **original request** (`req`) rather than the sanitized forward request (`forwardReq`): ```go // pkg/middlewares/auth/forward.go – writeHeader() if !trustForwardHeader { forwardedheaders.DeleteXForwardedHeaders(forwardReq.Header) // strips all X-Fwd-* from forwardReq } // ... if _, ok := forwardReq.Header[forwardedheaders.XForwardedPort]; !ok { forwardReq.Header.Set(forwardedheaders.XForwardedPort, forwardedPort(req)) // ← req = ORIGINAL } // pkg/middlewares/auth/forward.go – forwardedPort() func forwardedPort(req *http.Request) string { if _, port, err := net.SplitHostPort(req.Host); err == nil && port != "" { return port } // Reads attacker-controlled header on the ORIGINAL request: if req.Header.Get(forwardedheaders.XForwardedProto) == "https" || ... { return "443" } if req.TLS != nil { return "443" } return "80" } Result when trustForwardHeader=false and attacker sends X-Forwarded-Proto: https on a plain HTTP connection: ┌──────────────────────────────────┬──────────┬────────┐ │ Header forwarded to auth service │ Expected │ Actual │ ├──────────────────────────────────┼──────────┼────────┤ │ X-Forwarded-Proto │ http │ http ✓ │ ├──────────────────────────────────┼──────────┼────────┤ │ X-Forwarded-Port │ 80 │ 443 ✗ │ └──────────────────────────────────┴──────────┴────────┘ ``` The inconsistency between Proto=http and Port=443 is exploitable against any authentication service that gates access based on X-Forwarded-Port. ### PoC Traefik configuration: ```http: middlewares: my-auth: forwardAuth: address: "http://auth-service/" trustForwardHeader: false # security setting, but still bypassable routers: api: rule: "PathPrefix(`/api`)" middlewares: - my-auth service: backend Auth service logic (example victim): # auth-service checks: only port 443 requests are considered "secure" port = request.headers.get("X-Forwarded-Port", "80") proto = request.headers.get("X-Forwarded-Proto", "http") if port == "443": return 200 # grant access return 403 ``` Attack: Plain HTTP connection, no TLS – but spoofs port 443 curl -H "X-Forwarded-Proto: https" http://traefik.example.com/api/admin Auth service receives X-Forwarded-Port: 443 → grants access Verification: Enable Traefik debug logging and observe X-Forwarded-Port: 443 in the auth request while the connection is plain HTTP. ### Impact Any deployment using the ForwardAuth middleware with trustForwardHeader: false where the downstream authentication service uses X-Forwarded-Port to make authorization decisions is vulnerable to privilege escalation. An unauthenticated attacker can bypass port-based s

• github.com/traefik/traefik/security/advisories/GHSA-3q9r-p662-5j8m (opens in a new tab)
• nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-54764 (opens in a new tab)
• github.com/traefik/traefik/pull/13344 (opens in a new tab)
• github.com/traefik/traefik/commit/7ae92d8c2c10ac04ef5a03df0ed5019ce0f44b2d (opens in a new tab)
• github.com/traefik/traefik (opens in a new tab)
• github.com/traefik/traefik/releases/tag/v2.11.51 (opens in a new tab)
• github.com/traefik/traefik/releases/tag/v3.6.22 (opens in a new tab)
• github.com/traefik/traefik/releases/tag/v3.7.6 (opens in a new tab)

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