# CVE-2026-40525

> Vulnerability · severity: **CRITICAL** (CVSS 9.1).

## Description

OpenViking prior to version 0.3.9 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in the VikingBot OpenAPI HTTP route surface where the authentication check fails open when the api_key configuration value is unset or empty. Remote attackers with network access to the exposed service can invoke privileged bot-control functionality without providing a valid X-API-Key header, including submitting attacker-controlled prompts, creating or using bot sessions, and accessing downstream tools, integrations, secrets, or data accessible to the bot.

## Key facts

- **CVE ID:** CVE-2026-40525
- **Published:** 2026-04-17
- **CVSS severity:** CRITICAL
- **CVSS base score:** 9.1
- **CWE codes:** CWE-636

## Affected products

- `volcengine:openviking`

## Primary sources

- NIST NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40525

## Citation

> AI Analytics. CVE-2026-40525. Retrieved 2026-07-20 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/cve/CVE-2026-40525. Derived from NIST NVD. Licensed CC0.

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