CVE-2025-3879 in Vault Community
Summary
by MITRE • 05/02/2025
Vault Community, Vault Enterprise (“Vault”) Azure Auth method did not correctly validate the claims in the Azure-issued token, resulting in the potential bypass of the bound_locations parameter on login. Fixed in Vault Community Edition 1.19.1 and Vault Enterprise 1.19.1, 1.18.7, 1.17.14, 1.16.18.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-3879 affects HashiCorp Vault Community and Enterprise editions, specifically targeting the Azure Authentication method implementation. This flaw resides in the token validation mechanism used when authenticating against Microsoft Azure services through Vault's authentication system. The issue manifests when Vault processes Azure-issued tokens during the authentication process, where the system fails to properly validate critical claims contained within these tokens. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it directly impacts the security controls that Vault implements to restrict authentication access based on geographical location boundaries.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate validation of Azure token claims, specifically those related to location binding parameters. When users authenticate through the Azure Auth method, Vault should verify that the token's location claims align with the bound_locations parameter configured for the authentication role. However, the vulnerability allows malicious actors to bypass these location-based restrictions by submitting tokens with manipulated or forged location claims that pass Vault's insufficient validation checks. This represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and could enable unauthorized access from locations that should be explicitly denied. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-284 Access Control Bypass, as it allows unauthorized access through improper validation of access control mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass, potentially enabling attackers to gain access to sensitive vaulted secrets and configurations from unauthorized geographical locations. Attackers could exploit this weakness to perform lateral movement within cloud environments, access restricted resources, or conduct privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability affects all Vault installations using the Azure Auth method, particularly those implementing location-based access controls as part of their security posture. Organizations relying on Vault for credential management and secret storage may experience unauthorized access to sensitive data, including API keys, database credentials, and other privileged information. This issue could be particularly damaging in regulated environments where geographical access controls are mandated by compliance frameworks such as SOC 2, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2025-3879 require immediate implementation of the patched versions mentioned in the advisory, including Vault Community Edition 1.19.1 and Enterprise versions 1.19.1, 1.18.7, 1.17.14, and 1.16.18. Organizations should conduct comprehensive audits of their Azure Auth method configurations to identify any roles that rely on bound_locations parameters and verify that these controls are functioning correctly after patching. Security teams should implement additional monitoring for authentication attempts from unexpected geographical locations and consider implementing multi-factor authentication as an additional security layer. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1550 Use of Cloud Credentials, as it enables unauthorized access to cloud-based authentication systems. Organizations should also review their Azure Active Directory configurations and implement proper token validation policies to prevent similar issues in other components of their security infrastructure.