CVE-2025-54996: OpenBao Root Namespace Operator May Elevate Token Privileges
Impact
Accounts with access to the highly-privileged identity entity system in the root namespace may increase their scope directly to the root policy. While the identity system always allowed adding arbitrary policies, which in turn could contain capability grants on arbitrary paths, the root policy is restricted to manual generation using unseal or recovery key shares. The global root policy is not accessible from child namespaces.
Patches
OpenBao v2.3.2 will patch this issue.
Workarounds
Use of deniedparameters in any policy which has access to the affected identity endpoints (on identity entities) may be sufficient to prohibit this type of attack.
References
This issue was disclosed to HashiCorp and is the OpenBao equivalent of the following tickets:
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2025-13-vault-root-namespace-operator-may-elevate-token-privileges/76032 - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/cve-2025-5999
Other sources
OpenBao exists to provide a software solution to manage, store, and distribute sensitive data including secrets, certificates, and keys. In versions 2.3.1 and below, accounts with access to highly-privileged identity entity systems in root namespaces were able to increase their scope directly to the root policy. While the identity system allowed adding arbitrary policies, which in turn could contain capability grants on arbitrary paths, the root policy was restricted to manual generation using unseal or recovery key shares. The global root policy was not accessible from child namespaces. This issue is fixed in version 2.3.2. To workaround this vulnerability, use of deniedparameters in any policy which has access to the affected identity endpoints (on identity entities) may be sufficient to prohibit this type of attack.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-54996?
CVE-2025-54996 has been classified as a critical vulnerability due to its potential for privilege escalation.
How do I fix CVE-2025-54996?
To fix CVE-2025-54996, upgrade to version 2.3.2 or ensure your version is not lower than 0.0.0-20250806193240-9b0b5d4f345f.
Who is affected by CVE-2025-54996?
CVE-2025-54996 affects accounts with access to the highly-privileged identity entity system in the root namespace.
What are the potential exploits of CVE-2025-54996?
An attacker with access can elevate their privileges to the root policy, compromising system security.
Is CVE-2025-54996 present in older versions of the software?
Yes, versions prior to 2.3.2 and any version below 0.0.0-20250806193240-9b0b5d4f345f are vulnerable to CVE-2025-54996.