CVE-2025-54997

Workarounds

Users may deny all access to the sys/audit/* interface (with create and update) permission via policies with explicit deny grants. This would not restrict root level operators, however, for whom there are no workarounds.

This interface allowed arbitrary filesystem and network (write) access as the user the OpenBao server was running as; in conjunction with allowing custom plugins or other system processes this may enable code execution.

References

This issue was disclosed to HashiCorp and is the OpenBao equivalent of the following tickets:

• https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2025-14-privileged-vault-operator-may-execute-code-on-the-underlying-host/76033
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-6000

Under certain threat models, OpenBao operators with privileged API access may not be system administrators and thus normally lack the ability to update binaries or execute code on the system. Additionally, privileged API operators should be unable to perform TCP connections to arbitrary hosts in the environment OpenBao is executing within. The API-driven audit subsystem granted privileged API operators the ability to do both with an attacker-controlled log prefix. Access to these endpoints should be restricted.

Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution within the application's privilege context.

CVE-2025-54997 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and no user interaction. 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 (2.3.2, 0.0.0-20250806194004-a14053c9679d); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

OpenBao v2.3.2 will patch this issue.

1. What is CVE-2025-54997? CVE-2025-54997 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in github.com/openbao/openbao (go), affecting versions >= 0.1.0, < 2.3.2. It is fixed in 2.3.2, 0.0.0-20250806194004-a14053c9679d. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
2. How severe is CVE-2025-54997? CVE-2025-54997 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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 are affected by CVE-2025-54997? github.com/openbao/openbao (go) versions >= 0.1.0, < 2.3.2 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2025-54997? Yes. CVE-2025-54997 is fixed in 2.3.2, 0.0.0-20250806194004-a14053c9679d. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2025-54997 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-54997 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-2025-54997 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-2025-54997?
   • Upgrade github.com/openbao/openbao to 2.3.2 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/openbao/openbao to 0.0.0-20250806194004-a14053c9679d or later