Cyber Resilience

CVE-2025-29928

Auth Bypass in Goauthentik Authentik ≤ 2024.12.4

Published
28 March 2025
Modified
21 August 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 8.0
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0036 29th percentile
Risk Priority 56 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2025-29928 is a high-severity Session Fixation (CWE-384) vulnerability in Goauthentik Authentik. Its CVSS base score is 8.0 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Steal Web Session Cookie (T1539); ranked at the 29th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-23 (Session Authenticity) and AC-12 (Session Termination) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2025-29928 affects authentik, an open-source identity provider, specifically in configurations using database-backed session storage, which is non-default. In versions prior to 2024.12.4 and 2025.2.3, attempts to delete sessions through the web interface or API fail to revoke them, allowing the session holder to retain unauthorized access to authentik. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-384 (Session Fixation) with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.0 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N), indicating high severity due to network accessibility, changed scope, and significant confidentiality and integrity impacts.

Attackers require no privileges (PR:N) but must overcome high complexity (AC:H) and rely on user interaction (UI:R), such as tricking an administrator or user into performing a session deletion action via the interface or API. Successful exploitation enables persistent access for a compromised session despite revocation efforts, potentially allowing unauthorized data access or modifications with high confidentiality and integrity consequences.

The authentik security advisory (GHSA-p6p8-f853-9g2p) and related commit (71294b7deb6eb5726a782de83b957eaf25fc4cf6) confirm fixes in versions 2024.12.4 and 2025.2.3. As a temporary mitigation, administrators should switch to cache-based session storage, though this invalidates all existing sessions and requires user re-authentication. Upgrading to a patched version is the permanent solution.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

authentik is an open-source identity provider. Prior to versions 2024.12.4 and 2025.2.3, when authentik was configured to use the database for session storage (which is a non-default setting), deleting sessions via the Web Interface or the API would not revoke…

more

the session and the session holder would continue to have access to authentik. authentik 2025.2.3 and 2024.12.4 fix this issue. Switching to the cache-based session storage until the authentik instance can be upgraded is recommended. This will however also delete all existing sessions and users will have to re-authenticate.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1539 Steal Web Session Cookie Credential Access
An adversary may steal web application or service session cookies and use them to gain access to web applications or Internet services as an authenticated user without needing credentials.
T1550.004 Web Session Cookie Lateral Movement
Adversaries can use stolen session cookies to authenticate to web applications and services.
T1606 Forge Web Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may forge credential materials that can be used to gain access to web applications or Internet services.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2025-64708Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2026-42849Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2024-21637Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2024-11623Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2026-41577Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2023-26481Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2024-52307Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2024-38371Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2024-37905Same product: Goauthentik Authentik
CVE-2026-41569Same product: Goauthentik Authentik

Affected Assets

goauthentik
authentik
≤ 2024.12.4 · 2025.2.0 — 2025.2.3

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V4.4.4
  • V7.6.2

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

Requires protection of session authenticity, which directly stops an attacker from using a stolen or fixed session identifier after authentication.

Limits the lifetime of any session (fixed or not), thereby reducing the window during which a stolen identifier remains usable.

Enforces that only properly authorized (i.e., freshly authenticated) sessions can access resources, making a pre-existing fixed session ID unusable.

Forces re-authentication under defined conditions, which should result in issuance of a fresh session identifier and invalidation of any prior one.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.AA-03 mostly match
prevents

Proper authentication processes must invalidate prior session identifiers to prevent fixation attacks.

PR.AA-01 partial match
prevents

Managing identities and credentials includes handling session identifiers as temporary credentials that must be invalidated on re-authentication.

PR.AA-04 partial match
prevents

Protecting and verifying identity assertions encompasses secure handling and regeneration of session tokens.

PR.PS-01 partial match
prevents

Configuration baselines can enforce session regeneration and timeout settings that block fixation.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing can detect session-fixation issues, yet the weakness absence does not replace comprehensive testing.

degrades

Access-control policy can mandate session invalidation on re-authentication, but does not prescribe the technical mechanism.

degrades

Identity-management procedures can require new session tokens after login, yet the control is broader than session handling.

degrades

Authentication-information rules can include session-token lifecycle requirements, but the control focuses on credential management.

prevents

Secure-SDLC requirement can embed session-fixation checks, but eliminating the weakness does not satisfy the full SDLC control.

prevents

Application-security requirements can specify session handling, yet the weakness fix alone does not meet the broader requirement.

References