CVE-2025-52893

Workarounds

Like with HCSEC-2025-09, there is no known workaround except to ensure properly formatted requests from all clients.

Remediation

Users with the capability to search through server and audit logs for any possible exposed secrets can refer to the following snippets to aid in searching:

Audit Log

... "error":"error converting input for field \"password\": expected type 'string', got unconvertible type 'map[string]interface {}', value: '<sensitive data>'" ...

Server Log

error converting input for field "password": expected type 'string', got unconvertible type 'map[string]interface {}', value: '<sensitive data>'

If any matches are found, rotating the affected secret is advised.

References

See also: https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2025-09-vault-may-expose-sensitive-information-in-error-logs-when-processing-malformed-data-with-the-kv-v2-plugin/74717

See also: https://github.com/go-viper/mapstructure/releases/tag/v2.3.0

See also: https://github.com/go-viper/mapstructure/pull/105 -> https://github.com/go-viper/mapstructure/commit/ed3f92181528ff776a0324107b8b55026e93766a

OpenBao before v2.3.0 and HashiCorp Vault as of the current v1.19.5 may leak sensitive information in logs when processing malformed data. This is separate from the earlier HCSEC-2025-09 / CVE-2025-4166.

CVE-2025-52893 has a CVSS score of 4.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.3.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

This issue has been fixed in OpenBao v2.3.0 and later.

1. What is CVE-2025-52893? CVE-2025-52893 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/openbao/openbao/sdk/v2 (go), affecting versions < 2.3.0. It is fixed in 2.3.0.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-52893? CVE-2025-52893 has a CVSS score of 4.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/openbao/openbao/sdk/v2 are affected by CVE-2025-52893? github.com/openbao/openbao/sdk/v2 (go) versions < 2.3.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-52893? Yes. CVE-2025-52893 is fixed in 2.3.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-52893 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-52893 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2025-52893 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2025-52893? Upgrade github.com/openbao/openbao/sdk/v2 to 2.3.0 or later.