OpenTelemetry-Go: Log gRPC exporter ignores env TLS certs, bypassing mTLS/pinning (CVE-2026-81871) | HOL Guard CVE

Unknown severity · Source severity not reportedCVE-2026-81871

OpenTelemetry-Go: Log gRPC exporter ignores env TLS certs, bypassing mTLS/pinning

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-81871 records a Unknown severity vulnerability in OpenTelemetry-Go: Log gRPC exporter ignores env TLS certs, bypassing mTLS/pinning. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Sep 16, 2026Updated Sep 16, 2026Source checked Sep 16, 2026First seen by HOL Sep 16, 2026Material review Sep 16, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Unknown severitySource severity not reported
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 1 mapped package or product
Fix availability: Not reported

Why this deserves its current priority

A CVSS score is not reported in the current record. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
open-telemetry/opentelemetry-gogeneric	< 0.21.0	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for open-telemetry/opentelemetry-go.
Review the reported fix. Monitor this advisory for an available fix and review any installs of the affected package.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Sep 16, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 16, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Sep 16, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

OpenTelemetry-Go is the Go implementation of OpenTelemetry. Prior to version 0.21.0, the exporters/otlp/otlplog/otlploggrpc package loads OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_LOGS_CERTIFICATE, OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_CERTIFICATE, and related client certificate environment variables through loadEnvTLS into cfg.tlsCfg, but newGRPCDialOptions does not apply cfg.tlsCfg when creating gRPC transport credentials. The environment-only TLS path instead uses credentials.NewTLS with system roots and no configured client certificate, bypassing intended private CA pinning and mutual TLS unless the application also supplies WithTLSCredentials. A network attacker able to intercept or spoof the collector connection with a system-trusted certificate can read or alter log telemetry. This issue is fixed in version 0.21.0.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.