CVE-2024-2048 in Vault
Summary
by MITRE • 03/04/2024
Vault and Vault Enterprise (“Vault”) TLS certificate auth method did not correctly validate client certificates when configured with a non-CA certificate as trusted certificate. In this configuration, an attacker may be able to craft a malicious certificate that could be used to bypass authentication. Fixed in Vault 1.15.5 and 1.14.10.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/06/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2024-2048 affects HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise versions prior to 1.15.5 and 1.14.10, specifically targeting the TLS certificate authentication method. This issue stems from improper validation of client certificates when the system is configured with a non-CA certificate as the trusted certificate authority. The flaw represents a critical security weakness that undermines the fundamental authentication mechanisms of the vault system, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive data and privileged operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the certificate validation logic within Vault's authentication subsystem. When administrators configure Vault to trust a non-CA certificate for client authentication, the system should properly verify that the presented client certificate was issued by the trusted certificate authority. However, the implementation failed to perform adequate certificate chain validation, allowing attackers to craft malicious certificates that would be accepted by the system. This misconfiguration creates a path for privilege escalation and unauthorized access to vault-protected resources. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295 which addresses improper certificate validation and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for credentials from password storage modules.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant across multiple security domains. Attackers who exploit this weakness can bypass authentication mechanisms entirely, gaining access to encrypted secrets, cryptographic keys, and sensitive configuration data stored within Vault. This compromise affects the integrity and confidentiality of the entire vault ecosystem, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized privilege escalation, and complete system compromise. Organizations relying on Vault for security operations management face elevated risk of unauthorized access to critical infrastructure components, including database credentials, API keys, and service tokens that are typically protected by Vault's authentication mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action to upgrade affected systems to versions 1.15.5 or 1.14.10, which contain the necessary patches. Administrators should also review existing certificate configurations to ensure that only properly trusted CA certificates are used for client authentication. The recommended approach involves implementing strict certificate validation policies and conducting thorough security audits of all certificate-based authentication configurations. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms and additional access controls to reduce the impact of potential certificate-based attacks. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous authentication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, while regular certificate rotation practices should be enforced to minimize the window of opportunity for attackers to leverage compromised certificates.