CVE-2025-44005: Github.com/smallstep/certificates Step CA Has Authorization Bypass Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p
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CVSS 10.0
CWE-306
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-44005 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 10.0) step ca has authorization bypass vulnerability (CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function) affecting Github.com/smallstep/certificates libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves step ca has authorization bypass in acme and scep provisioners. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.29.0.

CVE-2025-44005 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-44005
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 10.0
CWE Classification CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Affected Product Github.com/smallstep/certificates
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 10.0

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:C/C:H/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2025-44005

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/smallstep/certificates 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/smallstep/certificates fixed: 0.29.0 
Upgrade github.com/smallstep/certificates to 0.29.0
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/smallstep/certificates

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2025-44005, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/smallstep/certificates:

inspect dependencies for github.com/smallstep/certificates

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/smallstep/certificates in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.29.0), 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-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function, where the product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources. In Github.com/smallstep/certificates, 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

## Summary A security fix is now available for Step CA that resolves a vulnerability affecting deployments configured with ACME and/or SCEP provisioners. All operators running these provisioners should upgrade to the latest release (`v0.29.0`) immediately. The issue was discovered and disclosed by a research team during a security review. There is no evidence of active exploitation. To limit exploitation risk during a coordinated disclosure window, we are withholding detailed technical information for now. A full write-up will be published in several weeks. --- ## Embargo List If your organization runs Step CA in production and would like advance, embargoed notification of future security updates, visit https://u.step.sm/disclosure to request inclusion on our embargo list. --- ## Acknowledgements This issue was identified and reported by Stephen Kubik of the Cisco Advanced Security Initiatives Group (ASIG) --- Stay safe, and thank you for helping us keep the ecosystem secure.

CVE-2025-44005 Affected Github.com/smallstep/certificates Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.29.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/smallstep/certificates
golang/github.com/smallstep/certificates
Go
< 0.29.0
0.29.0

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/smallstep/certificates/security/advisories/GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/smallstep/certificates/commit/1011f5f5408b470a636f583bf74c0d7bbaf75d72
Github.com/smallstep/certificates Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/smallstep/certificates

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-44005?
CVE-2025-44005 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/smallstep/certificates involving Step CA Has Authorization Bypass in ACME and SCEP Provisioners under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function.
Which Github.com/smallstep/certificates versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.29.0 across affected packages: github.com/smallstep/certificates.
What version fixes CVE-2025-44005?
Upgrading to 0.29.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/smallstep/certificates affected?
Yes, github.com/smallstep/certificates is affected in releases prior to 0.29.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.29.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-44005?
CVE-2025-44005 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-44005?
CVE-2025-44005 is classified under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function (The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2025-44005?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/smallstep/certificates'. 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-h8cp-697h-8c8p",
  "modified" : "2025-12-03T17:00:03Z",
  "published" : "2025-12-03T17:00:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-44005" ],
  "summary" : "Step CA Has Authorization Bypass in ACME and SCEP Provisioners",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nA security fix is now available for Step CA that resolves a vulnerability affecting deployments configured with ACME and/or SCEP provisioners.\nAll operators running these provisioners should upgrade to the latest release (`v0.29.0`) immediately.\n\nThe issue was discovered and disclosed by a research team during a security review. There is no evidence of active exploitation.\n\nTo limit exploitation risk during a coordinated disclosure window, we are withholding detailed technical information for now. A full write-up will be published in several weeks.\n\n---\n\n## Embargo List\n\nIf your organization runs Step CA in production and would like advance, embargoed notification of future security updates, visit https://u.step.sm/disclosure to request inclusion on our embargo list.\n\n---\n\n## Acknowledgements\n\nThis issue was identified and reported by Stephen Kubik of the Cisco Advanced Security Initiatives Group (ASIG)\n\n---\n\nStay safe, and thank you for helping us keep the ecosystem secure.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/smallstep/certificates"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.29.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.28.4"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smallstep/certificates/security/advisories/GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smallstep/certificates/commit/1011f5f5408b470a636f583bf74c0d7bbaf75d72"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/smallstep/certificates"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-306" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-12-03T17:00:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}