Apache Shiro has an Authentication Bypass
### Impact **Authentication Bypass:** A vulnerability exists in Apache Shiro that allows authentication bypass for static files when served from a case-insensitive filesystem (such as the default configuration on macOS or Windows). The issue arises when Shiro's URL filters are configured with lower-case rules (a common default), but the underlying operating system treats mixed-case filenames as identical. An attacker can access protected static resources by varying the capitalization of the filename in the request (e.g., requesting `/SECRET.TXT` to bypass a rule for `/secret.txt`). This issue specifically affects static file handling and does not impact dynamic resource paths that are case-sensitive. ### Patches Users should upgrade to Apache Shiro **2.1.0** or later. **Important Configuration Note:** Version 2.1.0 introduces a new configuration parameter to handle case-insensitivity, which must be enabled manually to resolve the issue: * **shiro.ini:** ```ini filterChainResolver.caseInsensitive = true ``` * **Spring Boot (application.properties):** ```properties shiro.caseInsensitive=true ``` *Note: Apache Shiro 3.0.0 (upcoming) will enable this setting by default.* ### Workarounds * Ensure that the filesystem hosting the application is case-sensitive (e.g., Linux/Unix). * Manually configure all Shiro filter chains to handle all possible case variations of protected filenames (not recommended due to complexity). ### Resources * [CVE-2026-23903](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23903) * [Mailing List Announcement](https://lists.apache.org/thread/5jjf0hnjcol58z2m5y255c7scz1lnp8k) * [OSS-Security List](http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/02/08/1)
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-23903US | — | — | ||
Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name vulnerability in Apache Shiro.
This issue affects Apache Shiro: before 2.0.7.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.0.7, which fix… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/02/08/1WEB
- https://github.com/apache/shiroPACKAGE
- https://github.com/apache/shiro/commit/3b9638b957495004599aeaf24ba8949e309f26e8WEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/5jjf0hnjcol58z2m5y255c7scz1lnp8kWEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-23903ADVISORY
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