Summary
Overview
OpenFGA v1.9.3 to v1.9.4 ( openfga-0.2.40 <= Helm chart <= openfga-0.2.41, v1.9.3 <= docker <= v.1.9.4) are vulnerable to improper policy enforcement when certain Check and ListObject calls are executed.
Am I Affected?
You are affected by this vulnerability if you are using OpenFGA v1.9.3 to v1.9.4, specifically under the following preconditions:
- Calling Check API or ListObjects with an authorization model that has a relationship directly assignable by more than 1 userset with same type, and
- There are check or list object queries that rely on the above relationship, and
- You have userset tuples that are assigned to the above relationship
Workaround
Downgrade to v1.9.2 with enable-check-optimizations removed from OPENFGA_EXPERIMENTALS
Acknowledgments
OpenFGA would like Dominic Harries and rrozza-apolitical to thank for discovering this vulnerability.
Impact
The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.
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 v1.9.5. This upgrade is backwards compatible.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-55213? CVE-2025-55213 is a medium-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in github.com/openfga/openfga (go), affecting versions >= 1.9.3, < 1.9.5. It is fixed in 1.9.5. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
- Which versions of github.com/openfga/openfga are affected by CVE-2025-55213? github.com/openfga/openfga (go) versions >= 1.9.3, < 1.9.5 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-55213? Yes. CVE-2025-55213 is fixed in 1.9.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2025-55213 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-55213 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-2025-55213 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-2025-55213? Upgrade
github.com/openfga/openfgato 1.9.5 or later.