# CVE-2023-4680: Vault's Transit Secrets Engine Allowed Nonce Specified without Convergent Encryption

> Authorized users can decrypt arbitrary ciphertext and derive authentication subkeys in Vault's transit engine by specifying nonces without convergent encryption.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 14 Sep 2023
- **Updated:** 26 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** BIT-vault-2023-4680, GHSA-v84f-6r39-cpfc, GO-2023-2063

## What is CVE-2023-4680?

CVE-2023-4680 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Hashicorp Vault, published on 14 Sep 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise transit secrets engine allowed authorized users to specify arbitrary nonces, even with convergent encryption disabled. The encrypt endpoint, in combination with an offline attack, could be used to decrypt arbitrary ciphertext and potentially derive the authentication subkey when using transit secrets engine without convergent encryption. Introduced in 1.6.0 and fixed in 1.14.3, 1.13.7, and 1.12.11.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation), CWE-323 (Reusing a Nonce, Key Pair in Encryption)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-4680?

8 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/hashicorp/vault and vault. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 1.13.0 | 1.13.7 |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 1.13.0 | 1.13.7 |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 1.14.0 | 1.14.3 |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 1.14.0 | 1.14.3 |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 1.6.0 | 1.12.11, 1.13.7, 1.14.3 |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 1.6.0 | 1.12.11 |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 1.6.0 | 1.12.11 |
| `vault` | Bitnami | From 1.6.0 | 1.12.11, 1.13.7, 1.14.3 |

Products: Hashicorp Vault.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-4680?

Upgrade github.com/hashicorp/vault to a fixed version for your release line: 1.13.7, 1.14.3 or 1.12.11.

## Is CVE-2023-4680 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-4680 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Hashicorp Vault

- [CVE-2020-35192](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35192/): Hardcoded credentials in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-12757](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12757/): Improper Input Validation in HashiCorp Vault (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-6000](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-6000/): Arbitrary Remote Code Execution via Plugin Catalog Abuse (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2022-40186](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-40186/): HashiCorp Vault vulnerable to incorrect metadata access (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2022-36129](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36129/): Missing authorization in n/a (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-4680 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-4680 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Hashicorp Vault, published on 14 Sep 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-4680 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 1.13.0; fixed in 1.13.7
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 1.13.0; fixed in 1.13.7
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 1.14.0; fixed in 1.14.3
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 1.14.0; fixed in 1.14.3
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.12.11, 1.13.7, 1.14.3
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.12.11
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.12.11
- vault (Bitnami): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.12.11, 1.13.7, 1.14.3

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-4680/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-4680/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-4680
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4680
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-4680

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-4680/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.