Summary
Overview
OpenFGA v1.8.0 to v1.8.12 ( openfga-0.2.16 <= Helm chart <= openfga-0.2.31, v1.8.0 <= docker <= v.1.8.12) are vulnerable to authorization bypass when certain Check and ListObject calls are executed.
Am I Affected?
If you are using OpenFGA v1.8.0 to v1.8.12, specifically under the following conditions, you are affected by this authorization bypass vulnerability:
- Calling Check API or ListObjects with an authorization model that has a relationship directly assignable by both type bound public access and userset, and
- There are check or list object queries with contextual tuples for the relationship that can be directly assignable by both type bound public access and userset, and
- Those contextual tuples’s user field is an userset, and
- Type bound public access tuples are not assigned to the relationship
Acknowledgments
OpenFGA would like to thank @udyvish for discovering this vulnerability.
Impact
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
Upgrade to v1.8.13. This upgrade is backwards compatible.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-48371? CVE-2025-48371 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/openfga/openfga (go), affecting versions >= 1.8.0, < 1.8.13. It is fixed in 1.8.13.
- Which versions of github.com/openfga/openfga are affected by CVE-2025-48371? github.com/openfga/openfga (go) versions >= 1.8.0, < 1.8.13 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-48371? Yes. CVE-2025-48371 is fixed in 1.8.13. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2025-48371 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-48371 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-48371 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-48371? Upgrade
github.com/openfga/openfgato 1.8.13 or later.