# CVE-2025-25196: OpenFGA Authorization Bypass

> Attackers can bypass authorization checks in OpenFGA under specific model and tuple configurations, gaining unauthorized access to protected resources.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H`)
- **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:** 19 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 19 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-g4v5-6f5p-m38j, GO-2025-3470, MINI-82vf-jfc7-jcpp, MINI-r599-c9wv-qhq5

## What is CVE-2025-25196?

CVE-2025-25196 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in openfga, published on 19 Feb 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

OpenFGA is a high-performance and flexible authorization/permission engine built for developers and inspired by Google Zanzibar. OpenFGA < v1.8.4 (Helm chart < openfga-0.2.22, docker < v.1.8.4) are vulnerable to authorization bypass when certain Check and ListObject calls are executed. Users on OpenFGA v1.8.4 or previous, specifically under the following conditions are affected by this authorization bypass vulnerability: 1. Calling Check API or ListObjects with a model that has a relation directly assignable to both public access AND userset with the same type. 2. A type bound public access tuple is assigned to an object. 3. userset tuple is not assigned to the same object. and 4. Check request's user field is a userset that has the same type as the type bound public access tuple's user type. Users are advised to upgrade to v1.8.5 which is backwards compatible. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-285 (Improper Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-25196?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/openfga/openfga. It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/openfga/openfga` | Go | All versions | 1.8.5 |
| `github.com/openfga/openfga` | Go | All versions | 1.8.5 |
| `github.com/openfga/openfga` | Go | All versions | 1.8.5 |

Products: Openfga Helm Charts, Openfga Openfga.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-25196?

Upgrade github.com/openfga/openfga to 1.8.5 or later.

## Is CVE-2025-25196 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-25196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in openfga

- [CVE-2026-55689](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-55689/): OpenFGA: OIDC audience validation skipped when --authn-oidc-audience is unset (medium 6.8)
- [CVE-2026-24851](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24851/): OpenFGA Improper Policy Enforcement (medium 5.8)
- [CVE-2025-64751](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-64751/): OpenFGA Improper Policy Enforcement (medium 5.8)
- [CVE-2025-55213](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-55213/): OpenFGA Authorization Bypass (Check) (medium 5.8)
- [CVE-2025-48371](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-48371/): OpenFGA Authorization Bypass (medium 5.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-25196 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-25196 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in openfga, published on 19 Feb 2025. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-25196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/openfga/openfga (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.8.5
- github.com/openfga/openfga (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.8.5
- github.com/openfga/openfga (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.8.5

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-2025-25196/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-25196/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-25196
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-25196
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-25196

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-25196/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.