CVE-2025-5999 in Vault
Summary
by MITRE • 08/01/2025
A privileged Vault operator with write permissions to the root namespace’s identity endpoint could escalate their own or another user’s token privileges to Vault’s root policy. Fixed in Vault Community Edition 1.20.0 and Vault Enterprise 1.20.0, 1.19.6, 1.18.11 and 1.16.22.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/05/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within HashiCorp Vault's identity management system that allows authenticated operators with write permissions to escalate their privileges to the root policy level. The vulnerability exists in the way Vault handles token privilege management within the identity endpoint of the root namespace, creating a pathway for malicious actors to bypass normal access controls and gain unrestricted administrative access to the entire Vault deployment. The issue specifically affects scenarios where a privileged user already possesses write permissions to the identity endpoint, enabling them to manipulate token policies in ways that were not properly constrained.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of privilege escalation attempts within Vault's identity management subsystem. When an operator with write access to the root namespace's identity endpoint attempts to modify token policies, the system fails to properly verify whether the requested privilege escalation is authorized or whether the operator has legitimate grounds to elevate their own or another user's privileges to the root level. This flaw aligns with CWE-269: "Improper Privilege Management" and represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege that should govern all access control mechanisms within security systems. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of insufficient access control validation that allows lateral movement and privilege escalation within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations relying on Vault for sensitive credential management and secrets orchestration. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability gains complete administrative control over the entire Vault deployment, including the ability to read, modify, or delete all secrets, access control policies, and system configurations. This level of access effectively compromises the entire security infrastructure that Vault is designed to protect, potentially leading to data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive systems, and complete compromise of the organization's secrets management ecosystem. The vulnerability affects all versions prior to the specified fixed releases, meaning organizations must urgently assess their current Vault deployments and implement immediate mitigations.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to the fixed versions of Vault Community Edition 1.20.0 and Vault Enterprise 1.20.0, 1.19.6, 1.18.11, and 1.16.22, as these releases contain the necessary patches to address the privilege escalation vulnerability. System administrators should conduct thorough audits of existing identity endpoint permissions and immediately revoke unnecessary write access to the root namespace's identity endpoint for all operators who do not require such elevated privileges. Additionally, organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring and alerting around identity endpoint modifications and token policy changes to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's exploitation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.005: "Credentials in Files" and T1078.004: "Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts," as it leverages legitimate administrative accounts to escalate privileges within the cloud-native secrets management platform. Security teams should also consider implementing principle-based access controls and regular privilege reviews to minimize the attack surface and reduce the likelihood of similar vulnerabilities being exploited in the future.