Summary
@nfid/embed has compromised private key due to @dfinity/auth-client producing insecure session keys
Problem
User sessions in the @nfid/embed SDK with Ed25519 keys are vulnerable due to a compromised private key 535yc-uxytb-gfk7h-tny7p-vjkoe-i4krp-3qmcl-uqfgr-cpgej-yqtjq-rqe. This exposes users to potential loss of funds on ledgers and unauthorized access to canisters they control.
Why this happened
The DFINITY auth client library provides a function, Ed25519KeyIdentity.generate, for generating an Ed25519 key pair. This function includes an optional parameter to supply a 32-byte seed value, which will be utilized as the secret key. In cases where no seed value is provided, the library is expected to generate the secret key using secure randomness. However, a recent update of DFINITY libraries has compromised this assurance by employing an insecure seed for key pair generation.
References
Impact
Security-sensitive operations rely on values that are predictable or insufficiently random. Typical impact: forged tokens, guessable identifiers, or broken cryptographic protocols.
GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8 has a CVSS score of 9.1 (Critical). 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 (0.10.1-alpha.6); 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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Using version >1.0.1 of @dfinity/auth-client and @dfinity/identity packages, or @nfid/embed >0.10.1-alpha.6 includes patched versions of the issue.
User sessions will be automatically fixed when they re-authenticate.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8? GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8 is a critical-severity use of insufficiently random values vulnerability in @nfid/embed (npm), affecting versions >= 0.10.0, < 0.10.1-alpha.6. It is fixed in 0.10.1-alpha.6. Security-sensitive operations rely on values that are predictable or insufficiently random.
- How severe is GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8? GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8 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.
- Which versions of @nfid/embed are affected by GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8? @nfid/embed (npm) versions >= 0.10.0, < 0.10.1-alpha.6 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8? Yes. GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8 is fixed in 0.10.1-alpha.6. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8 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 GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8 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 GHSA-84C3-J8R2-MCM8? Upgrade
@nfid/embedto 0.10.1-alpha.6 or later.