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TI-2025-18656 Aliases CVE-2025-24976

Distribution's token authentication allows attacker to inject an untrusted signing key in a JWT

Priority HIGH 68CWE-639Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
None
Impact type
Security bypass
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
None · High · None
Fix status
Partial Red Hat: 2 fixed, 7 without a fix

Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-639.

Summary

Distribution is a toolkit to pack, ship, store, and deliver container content. Systems running registry versions 3.0.0-beta.1 through 3.0.0-rc.2 with token authentication enabled may be vulnerable to an issue in which token authentication allows an attacker to inject an untrusted signing key in a JSON web token (JWT). The issue lies in how the JSON web key (JWK) verification is performed. When a JWT contains a JWK header without a certificate chain, the code only checks if the KeyID (`kid`) matches one of the trusted keys, but doesn't verify that the actual key material matches. A fix for the issue is available at commit 5ea9aa028db65ca5665f6af2c20ecf9dc34e5fcd and expected to be a part of version 3.0.0-rc.3. There is no way to work around this issue without patching if the system requires token authentication.

Why it matters now

Exploitation Proof of concept CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.00353 29th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Partial Red Hat: 2 advisoriesRed Hat: 2 fixed, 7 without a fix

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation
Poc
Automatable
Yes
Technical impact
Partial

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
distributiondistribution3.0.0-beta.1 – 3.0.0-rc.2—No fix listedCNA
  • distribution Vendordistribution Affected 3.0.0-beta.1 – 3.0.0-rc.2 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA

Remediation

Red Hat 2 advisories

  • RHSA-2025:2445 Released 2025-03-12 · Red Hat rating Important
    OpenShift Container Platform 4.17.20 bug fix and security update
    • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.17 openshift4/ose-docker-builder-rhel9, openshift4/ose-operator-framework-tools-rhel9, openshift4/ose-operator-lifecycle-manager-rhel9 +2
  • RHSA-2025:2449 Released 2025-03-11 · Red Hat rating Important
    OpenShift Container Platform 4.18.4 security update
    • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.18 openshift4/oc-mirror-plugin-rhel9, openshift4/ose-docker-builder-rhel9, openshift4/ose-nutanix-machine-controllers-rhel9 +6

Vendor assessments

Red Hat

Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →

ProductStatusPlan or fix
Multiarch Tuning OperatorAffectedNo fix planned: Will not fix
OpenShift API for Data ProtectionAffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
OpenShift ServerlessAffectedNo fix planned: Will not fix
Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4AffectedNo fix yet: Fix deferred
Red Hat OpenShift GitOpsAffectedNo fix yet
Red Hat Trusted Application PipelineAffectedNo fix yet
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.17Fixed RHSA-2025:2445
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.18Fixed RHSA-2025:2449
Not affected: 3 products
  • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
  • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.17
  • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.18

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-24976

References

Other 2

  • TI-2026-27326 Distribution has stale blob access resurrection via repo-scoped redis descriptor cache invalidation CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
  • TI-2026-25933 Distribution affected by pull-through cache credential exfiltration via www-authenticate bearer realm CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
  • TI-2026-30291 Distribution: Tag deletion bypasses `storage.delete.enabled` configuration CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.3
  • TI-2026-71920 Distribution client does not verify manifest content against digest CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.8

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences