Timing Side-Channel in Vault’s Userpass Auth Method
Priority LOW 18CWE-203Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · None · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-203.
Summary
A timing side channel in Vault and Vault Enterprise’s (“Vault”) userpass auth method allowed an attacker to distinguish between existing and non-existing users, and potentially enumerate valid usernames for Vault’s Userpass auth method. Fixed in Vault Community Edition 1.20.1 and Vault Enterprise 1.20.1, 1.19.7, 1.18.12, and 1.16.23.
Why it matters now
Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00383 32nd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Vault (HashiCorp): 1.20.1Vault Enterprise (HashiCorp): 1.20.1+1 more productRed Hat: 4 without a fix
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HashiCorp | Vault | before 1.20.1 | 1.20.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| HashiCorp | Vault Enterprise | before 1.20.1 | 1.20.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go) | before 1.20.1 | 1.20.1 | Patch available | GHSA-mwgr-84fv-3jh9 |
- Vault VendorHashiCorp Affected before 1.20.1 Fixed in 1.20.1 Patch available CNA
- Vault Enterprise VendorHashiCorp Affected before 1.20.1 Fixed in 1.20.1 Patch available CNA
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go) Vendor— Affected before 1.20.1 Fixed in 1.20.1 Patch available GHSA-mwgr-84fv-3jh9
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:* | before 1.16.23 | Vulnerable | HashiCorp |
| cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:* | before 1.20.1 | Vulnerable | HashiCorp |
| cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:* | 1.17.0 to before 1.18.12; 1.19.0 to before 1.19.7 | Vulnerable | HashiCorp |
| cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:1.20.0:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:* | 1.20.0 | Vulnerable | HashiCorp |
- cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:* Versions before 1.16.23 Vulnerable ·HashiCorp
- cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:* Versions before 1.20.1 Vulnerable ·HashiCorp
- cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:* Versions 1.17.0 to before 1.18.12; 1.19.0 to before 1.19.7 Vulnerable ·HashiCorp
- cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:1.20.0:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:* Versions 1.20.0 Vulnerable ·HashiCorp
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Vault (HashiCorp) Fixed in 1.20.1
- Fix · CNA Vault Enterprise (HashiCorp) Fixed in 1.20.1
- Fix · GHSA-mwgr-84fv-3jh9 github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go) Fixed in 1.20.1 Advisory →
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
HashiCorp Vault, Vault Enterprise 1.20.1
6 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 1 MEDIUM, 5 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2025-05421 Arbitrary Remote Code Execution via Plugin Catalog AbusePriority MEDIUM 43
- TI-2025-05454 Vault Certificate Auth Method Did Not Validate Common Name For Non-CA CertificatesPriority LOW 32
- TI-2025-05425 Vault Userpass and LDAP User Lockout BypassPriority LOW 30
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Openshift Data Foundation 4 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Trusted Artifact Signer | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| cert-manager Operator for Red Hat OpenShift | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| external secrets operator for Red Hat OpenShift - Tech Preview | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-6011
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mwgr-84fv-3jh9
References
More HashiCorp Vault vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-01904 Vault Cert Auth Method Did Not Correctly Validate Non-CA Certificates CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-19053 An issue was discovered in HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise before 1.11.3. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2020-17874 The official vault docker images before 0.11.6 contain a blank password for a root user. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2020-10142 HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise 1.4.0 and 1.4.1, when configured with the GCP… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-04407 Vault Vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery in ACME Challenge Validation via Attacker-Controlled DNS CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.6
- TI-2025-05421 Arbitrary Remote Code Execution via Plugin Catalog Abuse CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
Sources
- CVE-2025-6011 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-6011 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mwgr-84fv-3jh9 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-6011 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences