{"id":45152,"date":"2026-04-12T04:22:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=45152"},"modified":"2026-04-12T04:22:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:22:08","slug":"pinchtab-unapplied-rate-limiting-middleware-allows-unbounded-brute-force-of-api-token","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152","title":{"rendered":"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>{&#8220;lastseen&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser. PinchTab `v0.7.7` through `v0.8.4` contain incomplete request-throttling protections for auth-checkable endpoints. In `v0.7.7` through `v0.8.3`, a fully implemented `RateLimitMiddleware` existed in `internal\/handlers\/middleware.go` but was not inserted into the production HTTP handler chain, so requests were not subject to the intended per-IP throttle. In the same pre-`v0.8.4` range, the original limiter also keyed clients using `X-Forwarded-For`, which would have allowed client-controlled header spoofing if the middleware had been enabled. `v0.8.4` addressed those two issues by wiring the limiter into the live handler chain and switching the key to the immediate peer IP, but it still exempted `\/health` and `\/metrics` from rate limiting even though `\/health` remained an auth-checkable endpoint when a token was configured. This issue weakens defense in depth for deployments where an attacker can reach the API, especially if a weak human-chosen token is used. It is not a direct authentication bypass or token disclosure issue by itself. PinchTab is documented as local-first by default and uses `127.0.0.1` plus a generated random token in the recommended setup. PinchTab&#8217;s default deployment model is a local-first, user-controlled environment between the user and their agents; wider exposure is an intentional operator choice. This lowers practical risk in the default configuration, even though it does not by itself change the intrinsic base characteristics of the bug. This was fully addressed in `v0.8.5` by applying `RateLimitMiddleware` in the production handler chain, deriving the client address from the immediate peer IP instead of trusting forwarded headers by default, and removing the `\/health` and `\/metrics` exemption so auth-checkable endpoints are throttled as well.&#8221;,&#8221;published&#8221;:&#8221;2026-03-26T20:42:12.692Z&#8221;,&#8221;modified&#8221;:&#8221;2026-03-27T13:55:46.976Z&#8221;,&#8221;type&#8221;:&#8221;cve&#8221;,&#8221;title&#8221;:&#8221;PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token&#8221;,&#8221;source&#8221;:&#8221;GitHub_M&#8221;,&#8221;references&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/github.com\/pinchtab\/pinchtab\/security\/advisories\/GHSA-j65m-hv65-r264\\nhttps:\/\/github.com\/pinchtab\/pinchtab\/commit\/c619c43a4f29d1d1a481e859c193baf78e0d648b\\nhttps:\/\/github.com\/pinchtab\/pinchtab\/releases\/tag\/v0.8.4&#8243;,&#8221;id&#8221;:&#8221;CVE-2026-33621&#8243;,&#8221;bulletinFamily&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;cwe&#8221;:[&#8220;CWE-290&#8243;,&#8221;CWE-770&#8243;],&#8221;cvelist&#8221;:null,&#8221;sourceData&#8221;:&#8221;pinchtab pinchtab \\u003e= 0.7.7, \\u003c 0.8.5&#8243;,&#8221;sourceHref&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;cvss&#8221;:{&#8220;score&#8221;:4.8,&#8221;severity&#8221;:&#8221;MEDIUM&#8221;,&#8221;vector&#8221;:&#8221;CVSS:3.1\/AV:N\/AC:H\/PR:N\/UI:N\/S:U\/C:L\/I:L\/A:N&#8221;,&#8221;version&#8221;:&#8221;3.1&#8243;},&#8221;cvss2&#8243;:{},&#8221;cvss3&#8243;:{&#8220;version&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;vectorString&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;baseScore&#8221;:0,&#8221;baseSeverity&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;attackVector&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;attackComplexity&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;privilegesRequired&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;userInteraction&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;scope&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;confidentialityImpact&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;integrityImpact&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;availabilityImpact&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;cvssV3&#8243;:{&#8220;version&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;vectorString&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;baseScore&#8221;:0,&#8221;baseSeverity&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;attackVector&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;attackComplexity&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;privilegesRequired&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;userInteraction&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;scope&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;confidentialityImpact&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;integrityImpact&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;availabilityImpact&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;}},&#8221;href&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;category_name&#8221;:&#8221;CVE&#8221;,&#8221;post_link&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;product&#8221;:&#8221;pinchtab&#8221;,&#8221;version&#8221;:&#8221;\\u003e= 0.7.7, \\u003c 0.8.5&#8243;,&#8221;vendor&#8221;:&#8221;pinchtab&#8221;,&#8221;ai_description&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;ai_severity&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;ai_vendor&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;ai_product&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;ai_version&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;ai_score&#8221;:0}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>{&#8220;lastseen&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser. PinchTab `v0.7.7` through `v0.8.4` contain incomplete request-throttling protections for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[6,8,75,12,21,13,7,11,5],"class_list":["post-45152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-category_cve","tag-cve","tag-cvss","tag-cvss-48","tag-exploit","tag-medium","tag-news","tag-security","tag-tapic","tag-vulnerability"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621 - zero redgem<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621 - zero redgem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"{&#8220;lastseen&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser. PinchTab `v0.7.7` through `v0.8.4` contain incomplete request-throttling protections for...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zero redgem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-12T04:22:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"invoker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"invoker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"invoker\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fbfeae8dfad117ac08a7621bee1a1dca\"},\"headline\":\"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-12T04:22:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152\"},\"wordCount\":451,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"CVE\",\"CVSS\",\"CVSS-4.8\",\"exploit\",\"MEDIUM\",\"news\",\"Security\",\"tapic\",\"Vulnerability\"],\"articleSection\":[\"category_cve\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152\",\"name\":\"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621 - zero redgem\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-12T04:22:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?p=45152#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/\",\"name\":\"zero redgem\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"zero redgem\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"width\":191,\"height\":188,\"caption\":\"zero redgem\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/fbfeae8dfad117ac08a7621bee1a1dca\",\"name\":\"invoker\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f17c01d7338e6932bcde121cf83569393df3374625d25afd62677cfb528f2e3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f17c01d7338e6932bcde121cf83569393df3374625d25afd62677cfb528f2e3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f17c01d7338e6932bcde121cf83569393df3374625d25afd62677cfb528f2e3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"invoker\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zero.redgem.net\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621 - zero redgem","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621 - zero redgem","og_description":"{&#8220;lastseen&#8221;:&#8221;&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;PinchTab is a standalone HTTP server that gives AI agents direct control over a Chrome browser. PinchTab `v0.7.7` through `v0.8.4` contain incomplete request-throttling protections for...","og_url":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152","og_site_name":"zero redgem","article_published_time":"2026-04-12T04:22:08+00:00","author":"invoker","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"invoker","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152"},"author":{"name":"invoker","@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#\/schema\/person\/fbfeae8dfad117ac08a7621bee1a1dca"},"headline":"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621","datePublished":"2026-04-12T04:22:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152"},"wordCount":451,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#organization"},"keywords":["CVE","CVSS","CVSS-4.8","exploit","MEDIUM","news","Security","tapic","Vulnerability"],"articleSection":["category_cve"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152","url":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152","name":"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621 - zero redgem","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-12T04:22:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?p=45152#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"PinchTab: Unapplied Rate Limiting Middleware Allows Unbounded Brute-Force of API Token_CVE-2026-33621"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/","name":"zero redgem","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#organization","name":"zero redgem","url":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","width":191,"height":188,"caption":"zero redgem"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/#\/schema\/person\/fbfeae8dfad117ac08a7621bee1a1dca","name":"invoker","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f17c01d7338e6932bcde121cf83569393df3374625d25afd62677cfb528f2e3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f17c01d7338e6932bcde121cf83569393df3374625d25afd62677cfb528f2e3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f17c01d7338e6932bcde121cf83569393df3374625d25afd62677cfb528f2e3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"invoker"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/zero.redgem.net"],"url":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45152\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zero.redgem.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}