Vulnerabilities in pkg:golang/github.com/ubuntu/authd

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g8qw-mgjx-rwjr
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-5689 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.4) new authd users logging vulnerability (CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment) affecting Github.com/ubuntu/authd libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves new authd users logging in via ssh are members of the root group. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.5.4.

3 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:golang/github.com/ubuntu/authd

3 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:golang/github.com/ubuntu/authd. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-g8qw-mgjx-rwjr CVE-2025-5689 MODERATE New authd users logging in via SSH are members of the root group
GHSA-x5q3-c8rm-w787 CVE-2024-9313 HIGH PAM module may allow accessing with the credentials of another user
GHSA-4gfw-wf7c-w6g2 CVE-2024-9312 MODERATE Authd allows attacker-controlled usernames to yield controllable UIDs

CVE-2025-5689 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-5689
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g8qw-mgjx-rwjr
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.4
CWE Classification CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
Affected Product Github.com/ubuntu/authd
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.4

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2025-5689

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/ubuntu/authd 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/ubuntu/authd fixed: 0.5.4
Upgrade github.com/ubuntu/authd to 0.5.4
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/ubuntu/authd

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2025-5689, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/ubuntu/authd:

inspect dependencies for github.com/ubuntu/authd

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/ubuntu/authd in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.5.4), 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-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment, where a product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Github.com/ubuntu/authd, 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

### Impact When an authd user logs in via SSH for the first time (meaning they do not yet exist in the authd user database) and successfully authenticates via the configured broker, the user is considered a member of the root group in the context of that SSH session. This situation may allow the user to read and write files that are accessible by the root group, to which they should not have access. The user does not get root privileges or any capabilities beyond the access granted to the root group. **Preconditions under which this vulnerability affects a system** * authd was [installed via the PPA](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/install-authd/#install-authd). * An OAuth 2.0 application was registered in Microsoft Entra ID or Google IAM, and the respective authd broker was installed ([authd-msentraid](https://snapcraft.io/authd-msentraid) or [authd-google](https://snapcraft.io/authd-google)) and [configured](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/configure-authd/#broker-configuration). * sshd was [configured to enable SSH](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/login-ssh/) access with authd, i.e.: ``` UsePAM yes KbdInteractiveAuthentication yes ``` * The username is allowed by the `ssh_allowed_suffixes` option in the [broker configuriation](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/login-ssh/#broker-configuration). * The user is allowed by the [`allowed_users` option in the broker configuration](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/configure-authd/#configure-allowed-users). * The user successfully authenticates via the authd broker (Entra ID or Google IAM). * The user did not log in locally before. ### Patches Fixed by https://github.com/ubuntu/authd/commit/619ce8e55953b970f1765ddaad565081538151ab ### Workarounds Configure the SSH server to not allow authenticating via authd, for example by setting `UsePAM no` or `KbdInteractiveAuthentication no` in the `sshd_config` (see https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/stable/howto/login-ssh/#ssh-configuration).

CVE-2025-5689 Affected Github.com/ubuntu/authd Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.5.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/ubuntu/authd
Go
< 0.5.4
0.5.4

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-5689?
CVE-2025-5689 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/ubuntu/authd involving New authd users logging in via SSH are members of the root group under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment.
Which Github.com/ubuntu/authd versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.5.4 across affected packages: github.com/ubuntu/authd.
What version fixes CVE-2025-5689?
Upgrading to 0.5.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/ubuntu/authd affected?
Yes, github.com/ubuntu/authd is affected in releases prior to 0.5.4. Upgrade your dependency to 0.5.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-5689?
CVE-2025-5689 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-5689?
CVE-2025-5689 is classified under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment (A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2025-5689?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/ubuntu/authd'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-g8qw-mgjx-rwjr",
  "modified" : "2025-06-17T19:26:35Z",
  "published" : "2025-06-16T16:01:10Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-5689" ],
  "summary" : "New authd users logging in via SSH are members of the root group",
  "details" : "### Impact\nWhen an authd user logs in via SSH for the first time (meaning they do not yet exist in the authd user database) and successfully authenticates via the configured broker, the user is considered a member of the root group in the context of that SSH session. This situation may allow the user to read and write files that are accessible by the root group, to which they should not have access. The user does not get root privileges or any capabilities beyond the access granted to the root group.\n\n**Preconditions under which this vulnerability affects a system**\n* authd was [installed via the PPA](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/install-authd/#install-authd).\n* An OAuth 2.0 application was registered in Microsoft Entra ID or Google IAM, and the respective authd broker was installed ([authd-msentraid](https://snapcraft.io/authd-msentraid) or [authd-google](https://snapcraft.io/authd-google)) and [configured](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/configure-authd/#broker-configuration).\n* sshd was [configured to enable SSH](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/login-ssh/) access with authd, i.e.:\n  ```\n  UsePAM yes\n  KbdInteractiveAuthentication yes\n  ```\n* The username is allowed by the `ssh_allowed_suffixes` option in the [broker configuriation](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/login-ssh/#broker-configuration).\n* The user is allowed by the [`allowed_users` option in the broker configuration](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/latest/howto/configure-authd/#configure-allowed-users).\n* The user successfully authenticates via the authd broker (Entra ID or Google IAM).\n* The user did not log in locally before.\n\n### Patches\nFixed by https://github.com/ubuntu/authd/commit/619ce8e55953b970f1765ddaad565081538151ab\n\n### Workarounds\nConfigure the SSH server to not allow authenticating via authd, for example by setting `UsePAM no` or `KbdInteractiveAuthentication no` in the `sshd_config` (see https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/stable/howto/login-ssh/#ssh-configuration).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/ubuntu/authd"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.5.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ubuntu/authd/security/advisories/GHSA-g8qw-mgjx-rwjr"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-5689"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ubuntu/authd/commit/619ce8e55953b970f1765ddaad565081538151ab"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ubuntu/authd"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-266", "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-06-16T16:01:10Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-06-16T12:15:19Z"
  }
}