# CVE-2024-45394: Secret encryption vulnerable to brute-force attacks

> Attackers with access to encrypted backups can brute-force keys due to weak encryption, exposing user data.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Sep 2024
- **Updated:** 9 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gv8m-vgp8-q2xr

## What is CVE-2024-45394?

CVE-2024-45394 is a high-severity vulnerability in Authenticator-Extension Authenticator, published on 3 Sep 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Authenticator is a browser extension that generates two-step verification codes. In versions 7.0.0 and below, encryption keys for user data were stored encrypted at-rest using only AES-256 and the EVP_BytesToKey KDF. Therefore, attackers with a copy of a user's data are able to brute-force the user's encryption key. Users on version 8.0.0 and above are automatically migrated away from the weak encoding on first login. Users should destroy encrypted backups made with versions prior to 8.0.0.

Weakness: CWE-326 (Inadequate Encryption Strength), CWE-327 (Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm), CWE-261 (Weak Encoding for Password)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-45394?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Authenticator Authenticator.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-45394?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-45394 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-45394 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-45394 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-45394 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-45394 is a high-severity vulnerability in Authenticator-Extension Authenticator, published on 3 Sep 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-45394 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Authenticator-Extension Authenticator. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2024-45394/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45394/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-45394
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-45394
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-45394

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45394/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.