GitHub Advisoryadvisory · Go

GHSA-g8qw-mgjx-rwjr New authd users logging in via SSH are members of the root group

MEDIUM Published 2025-06-16 Modified 2025-06-17 Official page ↗
Aliases
CVE-2025-5689
Ecosystem
Go
Packages
github.com/ubuntu/authd
Severity
Moderate
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Weaknesses
CWE-266, CWE-269
Reviewed
2025-06-16

Affected packages

• Go github.com/ubuntu/authd: < 0.5.4 → fixed in 0.5.4

Description

Impact When an authd user logs in via SSH for the first time (meaning they do not yet exist in the authd user database) and successfully authenticates via the configured broker, the user is considered a member of the root group in the context of that SSH session. This situation may allow the user to read and write files that are accessible by the root group, to which they should not have access. The user does not get root privileges or any capabilities beyond the access granted to the root group. Preconditions under which this vulnerability affects a system • authd was installed via the PPA. • An OAuth 2.0 application was registered in Microsoft Entra ID or Google IAM, and the respective authd broker was installed (authd-msentraid or authd-google) and configured. • sshd was configured to enable SSH access with authd, i.e.: ``` UsePAM yes KbdInteractiveAuthentication yes ``` • The username is allowed by the `ssh_allowed_suffixes` option in the broker configuriation. • The user is allowed by the `allowed_users` option in the broker configuration. • The user successfully authenticates via the authd broker (Entra ID or Google IAM). • The user did not log in locally before. Patches Fixed by https://github.com/ubuntu/authd/commit/619ce8e55953b970f1765ddaad565081538151ab Workarounds Configure the SSH server to not allow authenticating via authd, for example by setting `UsePAM no` or `KbdInteractiveAuthentication no` in the `sshd_config` (see https://documentation.ubuntu.com/authd/stable/howto/login-ssh/#ssh-configuration).

Related

Alias · CVE (1)

  • CVE-2025-5689 A flaw was found in the temporary user record that authd uses in the pre-auth NSS. vulnerability

Weakness · CWE (2)

  • CWE-266 Incorrect Privilege Assignment weakness
  • CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management weakness

References