Unauthenticated user enumeration via unequal login work
Published Aug 9, 2025 · Updated Aug 11, 2025
Observable timing discrepancy in OpenBao 0.1.0 through 2.3.1 allows remote attackers to enumerate userpass accounts. The userpass login path uses a raw dummy byte string for nonexistent users instead of a valid bcrypt hash and can avoid the storage work performed for existing users, producing measurable response-time differences. The userpass method must be enabled and reachable; no valid credentials are required, but repeated probes can trigger the default user-lockout control for real accounts.
Summary
What happened
Observable timing discrepancy in OpenBao 0.1.0 through 2.3.1 allows remote attackers to enumerate userpass accounts. The userpass login path uses a raw dummy byte string for nonexistent users instead of a valid bcrypt hash and can avoid the storage work performed for existing users, producing measurable response-time differences. The userpass method must be enabled and reachable; no valid credentials are required, but repeated probes can trigger the default user-lockout control for real accounts.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-54999
- Published
- Aug 9, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 11, 2025
- Vendor
- OpenBao
- Product
- OpenBao
- Classifications
- CWE-203, CAPEC-189, T1589.001
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 9, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 11, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=>= 0.1.0, < 2.3.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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