CVE-2024-42490: GoAuthentik vulnerable to Insufficient Authorization for several API endpoints

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 0.5%, percentile 40: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.5% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 40% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes goauthentik.io (Go) >= 2024.6.0-rc1, < 2024.6.4, fixed in 2024.6.4; goauthentik.io (Go) < 2024.4.4, fixed in 2024.4.4. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

authentik is an open-source Identity Provider. Several API endpoints can be accessed by users without correct authentication/authorization. The main API endpoints affected by this are /api/v3/crypto/certificatekeypairs/ /viewcertificate/, /api/v3/crypto/certificatekeypairs/ /viewprivatekey/, and /api/v3/.../usedby/. Note that all of the affected API endpoints require the knowledge of the ID of an object, which especially for certificates is not accessible to an unprivileged user. Additionally the IDs for most objects are UUIDv4, meaning they are not easily guessable/enumerable. authentik 2024.4.4, 2024.6.4 and 2024.8.0 fix this issue.

From the GitHub advisory

Summary

Several API endpoints can be accessed by users without correct authentication/authorization.

The main API endpoints affected by this:

- /api/v3/crypto/certificatekeypairs/ /viewcertificate/ - /api/v3/crypto/certificatekeypairs/ /viewprivatekey/ - /api/v3/.../usedby/

Note that all of the affected API endpoints require the knowledge of the ID of an object, which especially for certificates is not accessible to an unprivileged user. Additionally the IDs for most objects are UUIDv4, meaning they are not easily guessable/enumerable.

Weakness type: CWE-285, CWE-863.

Product: goauthentik.io (Go) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2024-08-22

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Attack requirements: present (depends on deployment conditions)
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact partial.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.48% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 40.

Timeline

• 2024-08-22 — CVE record last updated
• 2024-08-22 — CVE record published by GitHub_M
• 2024-08-22 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-qxqc-27pr-wgc8 published (critical)

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-qxqc-27pr-wgc8 github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2024-42490 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2024-42490 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. github.com github.com
2. github.com github.com
3. github.com github.com

Critical Go advisories · Today’s Security Digest