CVE-2026-35029: LiteLLM Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-53mr-6c8q-9789
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CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-35029 is a HIGH privilege escalation vulnerability (CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization) affecting LiteLLM libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves privilege escalation via unrestricted proxy configuration endpoint. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.83.0.

CVE-2026-35029 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-35029
GHSA Identifier GHSA-53mr-6c8q-9789
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
Affected Product LiteLLM
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-35029

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected LiteLLM dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

litellm fixed: 1.83.0 
pip install litellm>=1.83.0
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show litellm

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-35029, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show litellm

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of LiteLLM in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.83.0), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show litellm command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization, where the product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. In LiteLLM, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact The `/config/update endpoint` does not enforce admin role authorization. A user who is already authenticated into the platform can then use this endpoint to do the following: - Modify proxy configuration and environment variables - Register custom pass-through endpoint handlers pointing to attacker-controlled Python code, achieving remote code execution - Read arbitrary server files by setting UI_LOGO_PATH and fetching via /get_image - Take over other priveleged accounts by overwriting UI_USERNAME and UI_PASSWORD environment variables ### Patches Fixed in v1.83.0. The endpoint now requires `proxy_admin` role. ### Workarounds Restrict API key distribution. There is no configuration-level workaround.

CVE-2026-35029 Affected LiteLLM Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.83.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
litellm
pypi/litellm
PyPI
< 1.83.0
1.83.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/security/advisories/GHSA-53mr-6c8q-9789
NVD — CVE-2026-35029 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35029
LiteLLM Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Apr/17

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-35029?
CVE-2026-35029 is a security vulnerability in LiteLLM involving Privilege escalation via unrestricted proxy configuration endpoint under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization.
Which LiteLLM versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.83.0 across affected packages: litellm.
What version fixes CVE-2026-35029?
Upgrading to 1.83.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is litellm affected?
Yes, litellm is affected in releases prior to 1.83.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.83.0 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-35029?
CVE-2026-35029 is classified under CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization (The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-35029?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show litellm'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-53mr-6c8q-9789",
  "modified" : "2026-05-06T18:40:45Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-03T21:59:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-35029" ],
  "summary" : "LiteLLM: Privilege escalation via unrestricted proxy configuration endpoint",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nThe `/config/update endpoint` does not enforce admin role authorization. A user who is already authenticated into the platform can then use this endpoint to do the following:\n\n  - Modify proxy configuration and environment variables\n  - Register custom pass-through endpoint handlers pointing to attacker-controlled Python code, achieving remote code execution\n  - Read arbitrary server files by setting UI_LOGO_PATH and fetching via /get_image\n  - Take over other priveleged accounts by overwriting UI_USERNAME and UI_PASSWORD environment variables\n\n### Patches\n\nFixed in v1.83.0. The endpoint now requires `proxy_admin` role.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nRestrict API key distribution. There is no configuration-level workaround.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "litellm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.83.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm/security/advisories/GHSA-53mr-6c8q-9789"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35029"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/BerriAI/litellm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2026/Apr/17"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-03T21:59:31Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-06T17:17:12Z"
  }
}