# CVE-2026-68548: Algernon: Case-insensitive filesystem lets unauthenticated requests bypass /admin,/repo,/data permission-prefix gate

Status: published. Published: 2026-11-12. Updated: 2026-11-12.

Algernon is a small self-contained pure-Go web server. Prior to version 1.17.10, Algernon's URL-prefix authorization gate matches its protected prefixes (/admin, /repo, /data) with case-sensitive strings.HasPrefix, while the exact same raw req.URL.Path is later resolved against the filesystem. On case-insensitive filesystems (Windows NTFS — always; macOS APFS/HFS+ — default), a request for /Admin/secret.lua evades every protected-prefix check, falls through to the public-prefix accept branch, and then resolves on disk to admin/secret.lua. The result is an unauthenticated bypass of the /admin, /repo, and /data authorization boundary, enabling read (and, for Lua files, execution) of protected content. The permission system is active in the default configuration. This issue has been patched in version 1.17.10.

## Remediation

No remediation reported in collected sources

## Affected products and versions

- xyproto / algernon: < 1.17.10 (affected). Source: CNA: GitHub_M

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 3.1: 9.4 (critical); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L; source: CNA: GitHub_M

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: Not available

- SSVC: Not available

- Weaknesses: CWE-178, CWE-863

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://github.com/xyproto/algernon/security/advisories/GHSA-vm84-8c4p-64hx (CNA: GitHub_M; x_refsource_CONFIRM)

- https://github.com/xyproto/algernon/releases/tag/v1.17.10 (CNA: GitHub_M; x_refsource_MISC)

## Provenance

- CNA: GitHub_M: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-68548; retrieved 2026-11-12; source updated 2026-11-12

Revision: b6a9a3b88bb2477507e7811ac1c130d017cbb436ee29b019607f3841ca66d57b

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-68548

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