OpenBao has a Timing Side-Channel in the Userpass Auth Method in github.com/openbao/openbao
OpenBao has a Timing Side-Channel in the Userpass Auth Method in github.com/openbao/openbao. NOTE: The source advisory for this report contains additional versions that could not be automatically mapped to standard Go module versions. (If this is causing false-positive reports from vulnerability scanners, please suggest an edit to the report.) The additional affected modules and versions are: github.com/openbao/openbao before v2.3.2.
02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE
Affected packages
100 explicit affected versions
03 / CONNECTIONS
Connected vulnerabilities
04 / EVIDENCE
Source records
OpenBao exists to provide a software solution to manage, store, and distribute sensitive data including secrets, certificates, and keys. In versions 0.1.0 through 2.3.1, 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. This issue was fixed in version 2.3.2. To work around this issue, 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/.
### 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. ### Patches OpenBao v2.3.2 will patch this issue. ### 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.
OpenBao has a Timing Side-Channel in the Userpass Auth Method in github.com/openbao/openbao. NOTE: The source advisory for this report contains additional versions that could not be automatically mapped to standard Go module versions. (If this is causing false-positive reports from vulnerability scanners, please suggest an edit to the report.) The additional affected modules and versions are: github.com/openbao/openbao before v2.3.2.
OpenBao exists to provide a software solution to manage, store, and distribute sensitive data including secrets, certificates, and keys. In versions 0.1.0 through 2.3.1, 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. This issue was fixed in version 2.3.2. To work around this issue, 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/.
05 / REFERENCES
Further evidence
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2025-15-timing-side-channel-in-vault-s-userpass-auth-method/76034
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2025-21-vault-user-enumeration-in-userpass-auth-method/76095
- https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/54xxx/CVE-2025-54999.json
- https://github.com/openbao/openbao/commit/4d9b5d3d6486ab9fbd5b644173fa0097015d6626
- https://github.com/openbao/openbao/security/advisories/GHSA-hh28-h22f-8357
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-54999
- https://github.com/openbao/openbao
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-6011