GHSA-xwmw-prc4-v3cr: High severity go/github.com/obot-platform/obot vulnerability
Summary
In affected versions, an unauthenticated attacker could register an OAuth client with an arbitrary external redirect URI, and the authorization flow would auto-complete without a consent screen. If a logged-in victim visited a crafted authorization URL, an authorization code was delivered to the attacker's redirect URI and exchanged for an access token. That token was minted with the victim's full set of groups, so it could be used as a bearer token against the Obot API endpoints the victim had access to — rather than being scoped to just the requested MCP server.
Am I affected?
You are affected if you run Obot <= v0.22.1 with OBOTSERVERENABLEAUTHENTICATION=true. Exploitation requires a logged-in victim to visit a single attacker-controlled authorization URL.
Details
Three issues combined to create this vulnerability. First, OAuth dynamic client registration was reachable without authentication and applied no restriction on the redirect URIs a client could register, so an attacker could register a client pointing at their own domain. The authorization flow then auto-completed for an already-logged-in user with no consent step, so simply loading the authorization URL issued an authorization code and redirected it to the attacker's URI. Finally, the token minted by the MCP OAuth flow carried the victim's full group set in the JWT — the field used to authorize API paths — so although the token's audience was the requested MCP server, it was accepted across the victim's wider API access. (Obot's JWT verification validated the issuer but not the audience; audiences were enforced at the MCP layer.)
Impact
Worst case is that an attacker who gets a logged-in victim to click a crafted link obtains an access token (and refresh token) usable against the API endpoints the victim is authorized for — reading or modifying the victim's resources until the token is revoked. No attacker-side privileges are required.
Mitigation
Upgrade to v0.23.0 or later, which adds three protections: a consent screen that shows the requesting client and the MCP server it wants access to before authorization completes; restriction of tokens minted by the MCP OAuth flow to only the MCP involved in the request, so they can no longer reach the user's wider API access; and audience validation as a fail-safe ensuring these tokens are only accepted for the MCP server they were issued for.
Severity
CVSS v3.1 Score: 8.8/10 (High) — CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Credits
The Obot team would like to thank @EQSTLab for responsibly disclosing this issue in accordance with our security policy.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
go/github.com/obot-platform/obotto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 0.23.0 - Upgrade
Upgrade
obotto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in v0.23.0 - Configuration
If you are running Obot <= v0.22.1, avoid or change OBOT_SERVER_ENABLE_AUTHENTICATION to reduce exposure; the issue applies specifically when OBOT_SERVER_ENABLE_AUTHENTICATION=true.
Obot OBOT_SERVER_ENABLE_AUTHENTICATION = true - Compensating control
If you cannot upgrade immediately, mitigate the OAuth authorization URL exposure by preventing users from visiting attacker-controlled authorization URLs (e.g., limit/monitor outbound links to authorization endpoints and educate users to avoid clicking such links).
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which deployments are exposed?
Obot deployments at version 0.22.1 or earlier are affected when OBOT_SERVER_ENABLE_AUTHENTICATION=true. The provided information does not state whether authentication is enabled by default.
What must an attacker do to obtain a victim's access token?
An attacker can register an OAuth client with a redirect URI they control, then needs a logged-in victim to visit a crafted authorization URL. No attacker authentication is required, and the authorization flow completes without a consent screen.
What access does a stolen token provide?
The resulting bearer token carries the victim's full set of groups rather than being limited to the requested MCP server. It can be used against Obot API endpoints that the victim is authorized to access.
How can I determine whether immediate mitigation is needed?
Check the deployed Obot version and whether OBOT_SERVER_ENABLE_AUTHENTICATION is set to true. Deployments meeting both conditions should be treated as affected.