CVE-2026-111449 in Wheels
Summary
by MITRE • 10/16/2026
Wheels 3.0.0 through 4.1.1 can disclose detailed exceptions when allowIPBasedDebugAccess=true (disabled by default). An allowed administrator request changes error/debug-display settings in shared application scope. If it overlaps with an unauthorized client's request that raises an error, that client can receive full exception details, including tag context or a serialized exception, and any sensitive data they contain. This race does not bypass the production gate protecting developer tools. This is fixed in 4.1.2.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/16/2026
The vulnerability identified in Wheels versions 3.0.0 through 4.1.1 represents a critical information disclosure flaw rooted in improper synchronization of application-scoped configuration settings during concurrent request processing. The core issue arises when the allowIPBasedDebugAccess setting is explicitly enabled, which allows administrators to modify error and debug display configurations via HTTP requests. While this feature is designed for development environments and includes safeguards such as IP-based access controls, it introduces a race condition that can be exploited by unauthorized clients under specific timing conditions. The vulnerability does not bypass the production gate protecting developer tools in terms of authentication or initial authorization checks; rather, it exploits the lack of atomicity when updating shared application state while handling user-generated errors.
Technically, the flaw occurs because the process of changing error-display settings and the processing of a client request that triggers an exception are not performed atomically within the same transactional boundary. When an administrator sends a request to alter debug display preferences in the shared application scope, this operation modifies global state variables. If another concurrent request from an unauthorized user raises an unhandled exception at precisely the moment these settings are being updated, the error handling mechanism may read the partially modified or newly enabled debug configuration before it is fully stabilized. Consequently, instead of returning a generic, sanitized error message suitable for production environments, the application returns detailed technical information to the requesting client. This includes full stack traces, tag context from ColdFusion templates, and potentially serialized exception objects that contain sensitive internal data structures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it facilitates unauthorized access to sensitive system internals without requiring authentication or privilege escalation beyond what is normally available for error reporting. Attackers can leverage this race condition to extract database connection strings, file paths, user session identifiers, and other confidential information embedded within exception objects. This exposure aids in further reconnaissance efforts, allowing adversaries to map the application architecture, identify vulnerable libraries based on stack trace details, or potentially craft more targeted attacks against identified components. The severity is compounded by the fact that such detailed error output can reveal implementation-specific logic flaws that are otherwise hidden from external observers.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information and CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization (Race Condition). In terms of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this behavior corresponds to T1589.001: Gather Victim Identity Information - Email Addresses and potentially T1497.001: Virtualization/Sandbox Evasion - System Checks if an attacker uses the disclosed information for environment analysis. The lack of proper locking or transactional isolation around shared configuration updates allows a timing-based attack to bypass intended security controls that rely on static state consistency rather than dynamic concurrency management.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve upgrading to Wheels version 4.1.2, where this race condition has been resolved through improved synchronization mechanisms for application-scoped settings. For environments unable to upgrade immediately, administrators should ensure that allowIPBasedDebugAccess remains disabled in any environment exposed to untrusted networks or the internet. Additionally, implementing robust error handling practices at the framework level can help sanitize exception details before they are returned to clients, ensuring that stack traces and serialized objects are never transmitted over HTTP responses regardless of internal configuration states. Regular security audits focusing on race conditions in shared state modifications are also recommended to prevent similar vulnerabilities in other application components.