CVE-2025-6203: Vault unauthenticated denial of service through complex json payload

Published Aug 28, 2025
·
Updated

A malicious user may submit a specially-crafted complex payload that otherwise meets the default request size limit which results in excessive memory and CPU consumption of Vault. This may lead to a timeout in Vault’s auditing subroutine, potentially resulting in the Vault server to become unresponsive. This vulnerability, CVE-2025-6203, is fixed in Vault Community Edition 1.20.3 and Vault Enterprise 1.20.3, 1.19.9, 1.18.14, and 1.16.25.

Affected Software

8 affected componentsFixes available
HashiCorp Vault Community Edition<1.20.3
HashiCorp Vault Enterprise<1.20.3, <1.19.9, <1.18.14, <1.16.25
go/github.com/hashicorp/vault<1.20.3
1.20.3
HashiCorp Vault>=1.15.0<1.16.27
HashiCorp Vault>=1.15.0<1.21.0
HashiCorp Vault>=1.18.0<1.18.15
HashiCorp Vault>=1.19.0<1.19.11
HashiCorp Vault>=1.20.0<1.20.5

Event History

Aug 28, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:36 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:36 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:15 PM
Affected Software
Advisory Published
via GitHub·09:31 PM
Data Sourced
via GitHub·09:31 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-6203?

CVE-2025-6203 is considered a medium severity vulnerability due to its potential to exhaust system resources.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-6203?

To remediate CVE-2025-6203, upgrade HashiCorp Vault to the latest version available beyond 1.20.3.

3

What are the potential impacts of CVE-2025-6203?

The impacts of CVE-2025-6203 include excessive memory and CPU consumption, leading to timeouts in Vault's auditing processes.

4

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-6203?

CVE-2025-6203 affects HashiCorp Vault Community Edition and Enterprise versions up to 1.20.3, 1.19.9, 1.18.14, and 1.16.25.

5

Is there a workaround for CVE-2025-6203?

Currently, no specific workaround is provided for CVE-2025-6203 other than upgrading to a patched version.

Contact

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