Race condition lets Better Auth exceed PostgreSQL rate limits
Key facts
- Attack vector
- —
- Privileges required
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- User interaction
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- Attack complexity
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- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
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- Fix status
- Fixed
No CVSS vector from any source. Fix status from GitHub. Impact type from CWE-307.
Summary
@better-auth/drizzle-adapter from 1.6.17 before 1.7.7 and @better-auth/kysely-adapter from 1.6.17 before 1.7.0 are affected when rate-limit records are stored in a PostgreSQL database. Concurrent requests can pass the rate-limit check together (CWE-362), so a burst of requests can exceed the configured maximum. An attacker who sends many requests at once can make more attempts than allowed on password sign-in, two-factor verification and one-time codes.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Description from the GitHub advisory
## Am I affected? You are affected if you use `@better-auth/drizzle-adapter` from 1.6.17 through versions before 1.7.7 (including the 1.7.0 prereleases from beta.6 through rc.6) or `@better-auth/kysely-adapter` 1.6.17 through 1.6.31, and keep rate-limit records in a PostgreSQL database. All of these must be true: - Rate limiting is enabled. - Rate-limit records are stored in the database. - The database is PostgreSQL, used through one of the adapter versions above. You are not affected if you store rate-limit records in memory (the default) or in secondary storage. ## Summary Database-backed rate limiting on PostgreSQL can let a burst of concurrent requests go over the configured maximum. When many requests arrive at the same time, several of them can pass the limit check together. This weakens the rate limit on password sign-in, two-factor verification, one-time codes, password resets, and other rate-limited endpoints. ## Impact An attacker who sends many requests at once can make more attempts than the application allows. The issue does not bypass password or one-time-code validation. It does not directly compromise an account. The number of extra attempts is limited by the number of concurrent database connections, the number of application instances, and the rate-limit window. ## Patches `@better-auth/kysely-adapter` is fixed in 1.7.0. Upgrade to 1.7.0 or later. The Drizzle fix is merged for the planned `@better-auth/drizzle-adapter` 1.7.7 release. That package is not available yet. Upgrade `better-auth` and the installed Drizzle adapter together when 1.7.7 is available. No database schema or public API migration is required. ## Workarounds - Store rate-limit records in secondary storage. - Use a custom rate-limit storage that checks and increments the counter in one atomic step. An atomic step cannot be interrupted by another request. - Enforce the intended limit at an upstream layer, such as a reverse proxy or gateway. In-memory storage also avoids this issue. However, each application instance keeps its own counter, so it may not enforce one shared limit in multi-instance or serverless deployments.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | @better-auth/drizzle-adapter (npm) | 1.6.17 to before 1.7.7 | 1.7.7 | Patch available | GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf |
| — | @better-auth/kysely-adapter (npm) | 1.6.17 to before 1.7.0 | 1.7.0 | Patch available | GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf |
| — | better-auth (npm) | 1.6.17 to before 1.7.7 | 1.7.7 | Patch available | GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf |
- @better-auth/drizzle-adapter (npm) Vendor— Affected 1.6.17 to before 1.7.7 Fixed in 1.7.7 Patch available GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf
- @better-auth/kysely-adapter (npm) Vendor— Affected 1.6.17 to before 1.7.0 Fixed in 1.7.0 Patch available GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf
- better-auth (npm) Vendor— Affected 1.6.17 to before 1.7.7 Fixed in 1.7.7 Patch available GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf
Remediation
Upgrade @better-auth/kysely-adapter to 1.7.0 and better-auth to 1.7.7. The Drizzle fix is planned for @better-auth/drizzle-adapter 1.7.7, which is not yet available, so upgrade it together with better-auth when it is released. Until then, store rate-limit records in secondary storage or use custom storage that checks and increments the counter in one atomic step.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
- Fix · GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf @better-auth/drizzle-adapter (npm) Fixed in 1.7.7 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf @better-auth/kysely-adapter (npm) Fixed in 1.7.0 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf better-auth (npm) Fixed in 1.7.7 Advisory →
Timeline
- 2026-10-27 Threatist record created from GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf
References
Other 5
- https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/security/advisories/GHSA-44jh-23m7-hpcf
- https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/pull/11331
- https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/commit/35d7cd389220f99cfc98ac699e6a42b48313a740
- https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth
- https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/releases/tag/v1.7.7
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences