Improper authentication in smallstep Step-CA
Priority HIGH 82CWE-287Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-287.
Summary
An attacker can bypass authorization checks and force a Step CA ACME or SCEP provisioner to create certificates without completing certain protocol authorization checks.
Why it matters now
Exploitation Proof of concept CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.09091 95th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed github.com/smallstep/certificates (Go): 0.29.0
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
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| smallstep | Step-CA | 0.28.4; v0.28.3 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| — | github.com/smallstep/certificates (Go) | before 0.29.0 | 0.29.0 | Patch available | GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p |
- Step-CA Vendorsmallstep Affected 0.28.4; v0.28.3 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- github.com/smallstep/certificates (Go) Vendor— Affected before 0.29.0 Fixed in 0.29.0 Patch available GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p
Remediation
- Fix · GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p github.com/smallstep/certificates (Go) Fixed in 0.29.0 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-44005
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p
References
More smallstep vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-23665 Step CA: Unauthenticated Certificate Issuance via SCEP UpdateReq (MessageType=18) CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2025-40843 Improper Authorization Check for SSH Certificate Revocation CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.0
- TI-2026-28924 Step CA affected by an index out of bounds panic in TPM attestation EKU validation CVSS 3.1LOW 3.7
Sources
- CVE-2025-44005 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-44005 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-44005 · 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