CVE-2020-10661: Github.com/hashicorp/vault HashiCorp Vault Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j6vv-vv26-rh7c
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-10661 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) hashicorp vault improper privilege management vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Github.com/hashicorp/vault libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves hashicorp vault improper privilege management. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.3.4.

CVE-2020-10661 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-10661
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j6vv-vv26-rh7c
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Github.com/hashicorp/vault
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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:N).

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 None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-10661

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: 1.3.4 
Upgrade github.com/hashicorp/vault to 1.3.4
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-2020-10661, 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 1.3.4), 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-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. 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 versions 0.11.0 through 1.3.3 may, under certain circumstances, have existing nested-path policies grant access to Namespaces created after-the-fact. Fixed in 1.3.4.

CVE-2020-10661 Affected Github.com/hashicorp/vault Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.3.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/hashicorp/vault
golang/github.com/hashicorp/vault
Go
≥ 0.11.0
< 1.3.4
1.3.4

References

NVD — CVE-2020-10661 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10661
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/commit/18485ee9d4352ac8e8396c580b5941ccf8e5b31a
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#134-march-19th-2020
www.hashicorp.com/blog/category/vault WEB
https://www.hashicorp.com/blog/category/vault

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-10661?
CVE-2020-10661 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/hashicorp/vault involving HashiCorp Vault Improper Privilege Management under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Github.com/hashicorp/vault versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.3.4 across affected packages: github.com/hashicorp/vault.
What version fixes CVE-2020-10661?
Upgrading to 1.3.4 (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 1.3.4. Upgrade your dependency to 1.3.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-10661?
CVE-2020-10661 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-10661?
CVE-2020-10661 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2020-10661?
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-j6vv-vv26-rh7c",
  "modified" : "2024-09-16T15:06:33Z",
  "published" : "2024-01-30T23:40:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-10661" ],
  "summary" : "HashiCorp Vault Improper Privilege Management",
  "details" : "HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise versions 0.11.0 through 1.3.3 may, under certain circumstances, have existing nested-path policies grant access to Namespaces created after-the-fact. Fixed in 1.3.4.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/hashicorp/vault"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.11.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.3.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-10661"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/commit/18485ee9d4352ac8e8396c580b5941ccf8e5b31a"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md#134-march-19th-2020"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.hashicorp.com/blog/category/vault"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-30T23:40:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}