Summary
OpenBao has a Timing Side-Channel in the Userpass Auth Method
Workarounds
Users may use another auth method or apply rate limiting quotas to limit the number of requests in a period of time: https://openbao.org/api-docs/system/rate-limit-quotas/
References
This issue was disclosed to HashiCorp and is the OpenBao equivalent of the following tickets:
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2025-15-timing-side-channel-in-vault-s-userpass-auth-method/76034
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-6011
Barring further information, this is also assumed to cover and remediate the following additional vulnerability:
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2025-21-vault-user-enumeration-in-userpass-auth-method/76095
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-6010
If this is not the case as further details emerge, a new CVE will be assigned for remediating that. Otherwise, no further CVE will be sought.
Impact
When using OpenBao's userpass auth method, user enumeration was possible due to timing difference between non-existent users and users with stored credentials. This is independent of whether the supplied credentials were valid for the given user.
CVE-2025-54999 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, no 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, 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
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.
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OpenBao v2.3.2 will patch this issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-54999? CVE-2025-54999 is a low-severity security vulnerability in github.com/openbao/openbao (go), affecting versions >= 0.1.0, < 2.3.2. It is fixed in 2.3.2, 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486.
- How severe is CVE-2025-54999? CVE-2025-54999 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Low). 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.
- Which versions of github.com/openbao/openbao are affected by CVE-2025-54999? github.com/openbao/openbao (go) versions >= 0.1.0, < 2.3.2 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-54999? Yes. CVE-2025-54999 is fixed in 2.3.2, 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2025-54999 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-54999 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-2025-54999 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-2025-54999?
- Upgrade
github.com/openbao/openbaoto 2.3.2 or later - Upgrade
github.com/openbao/openbaoto 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486 or later
- Upgrade