goauthentik prior 2025.4.3/2025.4.4/2025.6.4 OAuth/SAML request.context["pending_user"].is_active privileges management

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability labeled as critical has been found in goauthentik authentik. This vulnerability affects the function request.context["pending_user"].is_active of the component OAuth/SAML. Such manipulation leads to privileges management. This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2025-53942. The attack may be launched remotely. There is no exploit available. The affected component should be upgraded.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in goauthentik authentik. It has been rated as critical. Affected by this issue is the function request.context["pending_user"].is_active of the component OAuth/SAML. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a privileges management vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-269. The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. Impacted is confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

authentik is an open-source Identity Provider that emphasizes flexibility and versatility, with support for a wide set of protocols. In versions 2025.4.4 and earlier, as well as versions 2025.6.0-rc1 through 2025.6.3, deactivated users who registered through OAuth/SAML or linked their accounts to OAuth/SAML providers can still retain partial access to the system despite their accounts being deactivated. They end up in a half-authenticated state where they cannot access the API but crucially they can authorize applications if they know the URL of the application. To workaround this issue, developers can add an expression policy to the user login stage on the respective authentication flow with the expression of return request.context["pending_user"].is_active. This modification ensures that the return statement only activates the user login stage when the user is active. This issue is fixed in versions authentik 2025.4.4 and 2025.6.4.

The advisory is available at github.com. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2025-53942 since 07/14/2025. The exploitation is known to be easy. The attack may be launched remotely. No form of authentication is required for exploitation. Technical details are known, but there is no available exploit. This vulnerability is assigned to T1068 by the MITRE ATT&CK project.

Upgrading to version 2025.4.3, 2025.4.4 or 2025.6.4 eliminates this vulnerability.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at EUVD (EUVD-2025-22471). If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.

Productinfo

Vendor

• goauthentik

Name

• authentik

Website

• Product: https://github.com/goauthentik/authentik/

CPE 2.3info

• 🔒

CPE 2.2info

• 🔒

CVSSv4info

CVSSv3info

CVSSv2info

Exploitinginfo

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Countermeasuresinfo

Timelineinfo

Sourcesinfo

Entryinfo

If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.

Discussion