CVE-2026-4525: CWE-201: Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data in HashiCorp Vault
CVE-2026-4525 is a vulnerability in HashiCorp Vault where if an authentication mount is configured to pass through the "Authorization" header and that header is used for Vault authentication, the Vault token is forwarded to the authentication plugin backend. This could lead to sensitive information exposure. The issue affects versions including 0. 11. 2 and was fixed in Vault versions 2. 0. 0, 1. 21. 5, 1. 20.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability involves the insertion of sensitive information into sent data (CWE-201) within HashiCorp Vault. Specifically, when a Vault authentication mount is configured to pass through the "Authorization" HTTP header, and this header is used for authenticating to Vault, the Vault token is inadvertently forwarded to the authentication plugin backend. This behavior could expose sensitive authentication tokens to components that should not receive them. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.19.16, 1.20.10, 1.21.5, and 2.0.0, where it has been fixed.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized disclosure of Vault tokens by forwarding them to authentication plugin backends, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Vault-managed secrets. Given the high CVSS score (7.5) and the nature of the token exposure, attackers with limited privileges might escalate access or gain unauthorized access to sensitive data within Vault.
Mitigation Recommendations
Fixed versions are available: upgrade to HashiCorp Vault 2.0.0, 1.21.5, 1.20.10, or 1.19.16 to remediate this vulnerability. Since the vendor advisory indicates these versions contain the fix, applying these official patches is the recommended mitigation. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor advisory. No additional mitigation steps are specified.
CVE-2026-4525: CWE-201: Insertion of Sensitive Information Into Sent Data in HashiCorp Vault
Description
CVE-2026-4525 is a vulnerability in HashiCorp Vault where if an authentication mount is configured to pass through the "Authorization" header and that header is used for Vault authentication, the Vault token is forwarded to the authentication plugin backend. This could lead to sensitive information exposure. The issue affects versions including 0. 11. 2 and was fixed in Vault versions 2. 0. 0, 1. 21. 5, 1. 20.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.5high
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability involves the insertion of sensitive information into sent data (CWE-201) within HashiCorp Vault. Specifically, when a Vault authentication mount is configured to pass through the "Authorization" HTTP header, and this header is used for authenticating to Vault, the Vault token is inadvertently forwarded to the authentication plugin backend. This behavior could expose sensitive authentication tokens to components that should not receive them. The vulnerability affects versions prior to 1.19.16, 1.20.10, 1.21.5, and 2.0.0, where it has been fixed.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized disclosure of Vault tokens by forwarding them to authentication plugin backends, potentially compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Vault-managed secrets. Given the high CVSS score (7.5) and the nature of the token exposure, attackers with limited privileges might escalate access or gain unauthorized access to sensitive data within Vault.
Mitigation Recommendations
Fixed versions are available: upgrade to HashiCorp Vault 2.0.0, 1.21.5, 1.20.10, or 1.19.16 to remediate this vulnerability. Since the vendor advisory indicates these versions contain the fix, applying these official patches is the recommended mitigation. Patch status is confirmed by the vendor advisory. No additional mitigation steps are specified.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- HashiCorp
- Date Reserved
- 2026-03-20T17:47:40.835Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 69e2142082d89c981fcd7c24
Added to database: 4/17/2026, 11:06:08 AM
Last enriched: 4/24/2026, 4:17:26 PM
Last updated: 6/1/2026, 11:57:18 AM
Views: 78
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