CVE-2020-25816: Github.com/hashicorp/vault Token Leases Could Outlive Their Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-57gg-cj55-q5g2
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-613
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-25816 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) token leases could outlive their vulnerability (CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration) affecting Github.com/hashicorp/vault libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves token leases could outlive their ttl in hashicorp vault. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.4.

CVE-2020-25816 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-25816
GHSA Identifier GHSA-57gg-cj55-q5g2
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration
Affected Product Github.com/hashicorp/vault
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-25816

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/hashicorp/vault dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

github.com/hashicorp/vault fixed: 1.5.4 
Upgrade github.com/hashicorp/vault to 1.5.4
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for github.com/hashicorp/vault

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-25816, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/hashicorp/vault:

inspect dependencies for github.com/hashicorp/vault

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/hashicorp/vault in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.5.4), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration, where according to wasc, "insufficient session expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session ids for authorization.". In Github.com/hashicorp/vault, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise 1.0 before 1.5.4 have Incorrect Access Control.

CVE-2020-25816 Affected Github.com/hashicorp/vault Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/hashicorp/vault
golang/github.com/hashicorp/vault
Go
≥ 1.0.0-beta1
< 1.5.4
1.5.4

References

NVD — CVE-2020-25816 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-25816
Github.com/hashicorp/vault Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/pull/10020/commits/f192878110fe93eb13da914b2bee28caa7866a29
Github.com/hashicorp/vault Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hashicorp/vault
Github.com/hashicorp/vault Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md#147
Github.com/hashicorp/vault Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md#154
www.hashicorp.com/blog/category/vault WEB
https://www.hashicorp.com/blog/category/vault

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-25816?
CVE-2020-25816 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/hashicorp/vault involving Token leases could outlive their TTL in HashiCorp Vault under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration.
Which Github.com/hashicorp/vault versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5.4 across affected packages: github.com/hashicorp/vault.
What version fixes CVE-2020-25816?
Upgrading to 1.5.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/hashicorp/vault affected?
Yes, github.com/hashicorp/vault is affected in releases prior to 1.5.4. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-25816?
CVE-2020-25816 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-25816?
CVE-2020-25816 is classified under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration (According to WASC, "Insufficient Session Expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session IDs for authorization.").
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2020-25816?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/hashicorp/vault'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-57gg-cj55-q5g2",
  "modified" : "2026-01-16T21:48:17Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T22:01:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-25816" ],
  "summary" : "Token leases could outlive their TTL in HashiCorp Vault",
  "details" : "HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise 1.0 before 1.5.4 have Incorrect Access Control.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/hashicorp/vault"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.0.0-beta1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-25816"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/pull/10020/commits/f192878110fe93eb13da914b2bee28caa7866a29"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md#147"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md#154"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.hashicorp.com/blog/category/vault"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-613" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-02-01T21:49:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-30T20:15:00Z"
  }
}