GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7

Authelia's Group Changes may not have the expected results (YAML file backend)

Workarounds

Ensure you restart between user database changes.

References

• https://github.com/authelia/authelia/blob/v4.37.5/internal/handlers/handler_verify.go#L376-L394

Under very specific conditions changes to a users groups may not have the expected results.

The specific conditions are:

• The file authentication backend is being used.
• The watch option is set to true.
• The refresh_interval is configured to a non-disabled value.
• The users groups are adjusted by an administrator.
• The user attempts to access a resource that their groups previously had access to but their new groups do not have access to.

When these conditions are met administrators may find the changes are not taken into account by access control for longer than expected periods. While this may not necessarily be a security vulnerability it's security-adjacent and because of the unexpected nature of it and our dedication to a security-first culture we feel it's important to make users aware of this behaviour utilizing a security advisory and the existence of a fix.

This:

• Can not have an Impact for Unauthenticated Users.
• Can not have an Impact for Configurations utilizing the LDAP Backend.
• Can not be directly or indirectly caused by a users or third parties actions.

GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7 has a CVSS score of 1.6 (Low). The vector is requires physical access, 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 (4.38.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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This behaviour was identified after it was inadvertently fixed in the master branch during the multi-cookie domain rework (i.e. between feature releases). A patch for prior versions can be provided upon request. The fix was to ensure the details are updated regardless of backend, it was a small oversight in previous functionality which made refreshing ineffectual prior to v4.37.0.

1. What is GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7? GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7 is a low-severity security vulnerability in github.com/authelia/authelia/v4 (go), affecting versions >= 4.37.0, < 4.38.0. It is fixed in 4.38.0.
2. How severe is GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7? GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7 has a CVSS score of 1.6 (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.
3. Which versions of github.com/authelia/authelia/v4 are affected by GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7? github.com/authelia/authelia/v4 (go) versions >= 4.37.0, < 4.38.0 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7? Yes. GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7 is fixed in 4.38.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7 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 GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7 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 GHSA-X883-2VMG-XWF7? Upgrade github.com/authelia/authelia/v4 to 4.38.0 or later.

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/authelia/authelia/v4