Authlib: JWS/JWT accepts unknown crit headers (RFC violation → possible authz bypass)
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2025-59420 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2025-09-22 18:15:46 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-10-19 16:10:00 UTC |
| Description | Authlib is a Python library which builds OAuth and OpenID Connect servers. Prior to version 1.6.4, Authlib’s JWS verification accepts tokens that declare unknown critical header parameters (crit), violating RFC 7515 “must‑understand” semantics. An attacker can craft a signed token with a critical header (for example, bork or cnf) that strict verifiers reject but Authlib accepts. In mixed‑language fleets, this enables split‑brain verification and can lead to policy bypass, replay, or privilege escalation. This issue has been patched in version 1.6.4. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.5 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Problem Types: CWE-345 | CWE-863 | CWE-345 CWE-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity | CWE-863 CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 7.5 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 7.5 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
NoneIntegrity
HighAvailability
NoneCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/authlib/authlib/security/advisories/GHSA-9ggr-2464-2j32 | [email protected] | github.com | Exploit, Vendor Advisory |
| github.com/authlib/authlib/commit/6b1813e4392eb7c168c276099ff7783b176479df | [email protected] | github.com | Patch |
| lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00032.html | af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 | lists.debian.org | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.