Executive Summary
Wiz found nearly 1 in 10 internet-facing LiteLLM gateways accepted sk-1234, the example admin key from LiteLLM's setup guide, giving full gateway control.
What Happened
Nearly one in ten of the internet-facing LiteLLM servers that Wiz Research scanned in February accepted sk-1234, the example admin key in LiteLLM's own setup guide. LiteLLM is an open-source AI gateway, the software a company puts between its applications and the model providers it pays for. That key is the gateway's administrator credential. Anyone who holds it can read every
Affected Products
- LiteLLM
Vulnerability / Attack Technique
Default admin credential on AI gateways
Technical Mechanism
The example key was left as the real admin credential.
AI Security Category
LLM02:2025 Sensitive Information Disclosure
Relevant Frameworks
RealGround Analysis
A default key exposes every provider key and all traffic. RealGround analysis: this is one of the easiest AI exposures to check.
Recommended Controls
- Change the LiteLLM master key
- Keep AI gateways off the internet
- Rotate provider keys if exposed
Related RealGround Service
AI Agent SBOM and LLM Mapping · or start with the free AI Agent Security Scanner.
Sources
thehackernews.com: https://thehackernews.com/2026/09/nearly-1-in-10-exposed-litellm-gateways.html
Summary and analysis written by RealGround from the source above; last updated 2026-10-18.