---
title: "CVE-2026-45091: sealed-env: TOTP secret embedded in unseal token payload (enterprise mode)"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-45091/
description: "CVE-2026-45091 (sealed-env (npm)): sealed-env is a cross-stack, zero-trust secret management library for Node.js and Java/Spring Boot. In sealed-env…"
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2026-05-12
date_modified: 2026-05-13
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2026-45091"
kev: false
cvss: 9.1
epss: 0.00404
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2026-45091: sealed-env: TOTP secret embedded in unseal token payload (enterprise mode)

**Signal:** Critical and remotely reachable. No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- 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 0.4% , percentile 34: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.4% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 34% 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 sealed-env (npm) < 0.1.0-alpha.4, fixed in 0.1.0-alpha.4 ; io.github.davidalmeidac:sealed-env-core (Maven) < 0.1.0-alpha.4, fixed in 0.1.0-alpha.4 . Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

## What it is

sealed-env is a cross-stack, zero-trust secret management library for Node.js and Java/Spring Boot. In sealed-env enterprise mode, versions 0.1.0-alpha.1 through 0.1.0-alpha.3 embedded the operator's literal TOTP secret in the JWS payload of every minted unseal token. JWS payload is base64-encoded JSON, NOT encrypted. Any party who could observe a minted token (CI build logs, container env dumps, kubectl describe pod, Sentry/Rollbar stack traces, log aggregators) could decode the payload and extract the TOTP secret in plaintext. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.1.0-alpha.4.

## Affected packages

- npm `sealed-env` < 0.1.0-alpha.4 → fixed: 0.1.0-alpha.4
- Maven `io.github.davidalmeidac:sealed-env-core` < 0.1.0-alpha.4 → fixed: 0.1.0-alpha.4

## Affected products (CVE record)

- davidalmeidac sealed-env: < 0.1.0-alpha.4

## Severity

- GitHub_M CVSS 3.1: 9.1 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`
- GitHub CVSS 3.1: 9.1 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`

## Exploitation

- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none , automatable yes , technical impact total .
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.40% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 34.

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-x3r2-fj3r-g5mv](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-x3r2-fj3r-g5mv)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2026-45091](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-45091)
- [NVD entry CVE-2026-45091](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45091)
- [github.com](https://github.com/davidalmeidac/sealed-env/security/advisories/GHSA-x3r2-fj3r-g5mv)

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Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2026-45091/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt