CVE-2025-54999 OpenBao: Timing Side-Channel in Userpass Auth Method
Attackers can enumerate valid usernames in OpenBao's userpass auth method via timing side-channels, potentially aiding further attacks.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-54999?
CVE-2025-54999 is a low-severity vulnerability in openbao, published on 9 Aug 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
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/.
Weakness: CWE-203
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-54999?
6 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/openbao/openbao and openbao. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/openbao/openbao Go | All versions | 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486 |
github.com/openbao/openbao Go | All versions | 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486 |
github.com/openbao/openbao Go | All versions | 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486 |
github.com/openbao/openbao Go | From 0.1.0 | 2.3.2 |
github.com/openbao/openbao Go | From 0.1.0 | 2.3.2 |
openbao Bitnami | All versions | 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486, 2.3.2 |
Products include Openbao Openbao.
How do I fix CVE-2025-54999?
Upgrade github.com/openbao/openbao to a fixed version for your release line: 0.0.0-20250806193356-4d9b5d3d6486 or 2.3.2.
Is CVE-2025-54999 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-54999 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in openbao
- CVE-2026-33757 OpenBao lacks user confirmation for OIDC direct callback mode
- CVE-2026-33758 OpenBao has Reflected XSS in its OIDC authentication error message
- CVE-2025-54997 OpenBao: Privileged Operator May Execute Code on the Underlying Host
- CVE-2025-64761 OpenBao Privileged Operator Identity Group Root Escalation
- CVE-2025-59043 OpenBao vulnerable to denial of service via malicious JSON request processing
Sources
Also known as BIT-openbao-2025-54999, GHSA-hh28-h22f-8357, GO-2025-3854.