IBM Langflow Hard-Coded Credentials (CVE-2026-13446)
First seen Jul 20, 2026 · Updated Jul 20, 2026 · CVSS 9.8
IBM Langflow, a popular open-source visual builder for LLM/agent workflows, ships with hard-coded credentials (password or cryptographic key) used for inbound authentication, outbound service communication, or internal data encryption. Because these secrets are static and embedded in the codebase across versions 1.0.0-1.10.1, any attacker who knows or extracts them can authenticate as a legitimate component, decrypt protected data, or impersonate trusted internal services. The maximum CVSS score of 9.8 reflects the potential for full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability with low attack complexity and no privileges required.
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability stems from static secrets embedded directly in Langflow's source or configuration rather than generated per-deployment, meaning every installation of the affected versions shares the same credential material. An attacker with access to the public codebase, binary, or container image can extract these values and use them to authenticate to Langflow's API, internal services, or encrypted storage without needing to compromise any individual instance's runtime secrets. In an agentic context, this is especially dangerous because Langflow orchestrates chained LLM calls, tool invocations, and inter-component communication; a forged identity via the hard-coded credential could let an attacker inject malicious flows, hijack agent-to-agent or agent-to-tool communication, or exfiltrate encrypted data such as API keys and connection strings. The flaw crosses trust boundaries because the same credential may govern both inbound authentication (letting external attackers in) and outbound communication (letting Langflow, and thus an attacker impersonating it, reach other backend systems), turning a single hard-coded value into a network-wide skeleton key.
Affected Systems
IBM Langflow
Detection Signatures
- Grep deployed Langflow container images/source for known static secret strings, default API keys, or fixed encryption keys embedded in config files or source code
- Monitor authentication logs for successful logins using default/well-known credential values across multiple distinct deployments
- Alert on outbound connections from Langflow instances using unchanged default service-account tokens
- Audit environment variables and secret stores for absence of per-deployment credential rotation
- Check version banners/headers for Langflow versions 1.0.0 through 1.10.1
Remediation Steps
- 1
Upgrade Langflow
Update to a patched Langflow release beyond 1.10.1 that removes or randomizes the hard-coded credentials.
- 2
Rotate all secrets
Immediately rotate any passwords, API keys, or cryptographic keys that may match the hard-coded values, including those used for internal encryption and outbound service auth.
- 3
Enforce unique secrets per deployment
Configure Langflow to require operator-supplied, randomly generated credentials at install time rather than relying on defaults.
- 4
Network segmentation
Restrict inbound access to Langflow management interfaces and APIs to trusted networks until patched.
- 5
Audit for compromise
Review logs for anomalous authentication or data access patterns consistent with use of the known default credentials.
CVE / Advisory IDs
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