CVE-2023-39522 Username enumeration attack in goauthentik
Attackers can enumerate valid usernames via the recovery flow, revealing user existence in goauthentik Identity Provider deployments.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-39522?
CVE-2023-39522 is a medium-severity vulnerability in goauthentik authentik, published on 29 Aug 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
goauthentik is an open-source Identity Provider. In affected versions using a recovery flow with an identification stage an attacker is able to determine if a username exists. Only setups configured with a recovery flow are impacted by this. Anyone with a user account on a system with the recovery flow described above is susceptible to having their username/email revealed as existing. An attacker can easily enumerate and check users' existence using the recovery flow, as a clear message is shown when a user doesn't exist. Depending on configuration this can either be done by username, email, or both. This issue has been addressed in versions 2023.5.6 and 2023.6.2. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this issue.
Weakness: CWE-203
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-39522?
5 open source packages ship an affected version, including @goauthentik/api and authentik. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
@goauthentik/api npm | All versions | 2023.5.6 |
@goauthentik/api npm | All versions | 2023.5.6 |
@goauthentik/api npm | From 2023.6.0 | 2023.6.2 |
@goauthentik/api npm | From 2023.6.0 | 2023.6.2 |
authentik Bitnami | All versions | 2023.5.6, 2023.6.2 |
Products include Goauthentik Authentik.
How do I fix CVE-2023-39522?
Upgrade @goauthentik/api to a fixed version for your release line: 2023.5.6 or 2023.6.2.
Is CVE-2023-39522 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-39522 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in goauthentik authentik
- CVE-2026-49448 authentik: SourceStage bypass via empty POST
- CVE-2023-46249 authentik potential installation takeover when default admin user is deleted
- CVE-2022-23555 authentik vulnerable to Improper Authentication via invitation URL token reuse
- CVE-2026-42849 authentik: Reflected XSS in SFE AutosubmitStage allows IDP account takeover
- CVE-2026-25227 authentik affected by Remote Code Execution via Context Key Injection in PropertyMapping Test Endpoint
Sources
Also known as BIT-authentik-2023-39522, GHSA-vmf9-6pcv-xr87.