python-jose algorithm confusion guard bypassed by DER-encoded public keysGHSA-3qf3-8w2g-rqmx
CRITICALGHSA-3qf3-8w2g-rqmx is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.1) Broken Cryptographic Algorithm vulnerability in python-jose. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-3qf3-8w2g-rqmx.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-3qf3-8w2g-rqmx by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 394,803 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
python-joseReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
python-jose through 3.5.0 fails to properly validate asymmetric keys in HMAC initialization, accepting DER-encoded public keys that lack PEM armor or SSH prefixes. Attackers holding the service's public key can forge HS256 tokens that pass verification when algorithms are not explicitly restricted. This is an incomplete fix for CVE-2024-33663.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | python-jose | all versions | No fix |
Affected Products
python-josepython-jose_projectDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for python-jose, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
No patched version of python-jose has shipped for GHSA-3qf3-8w2g-rqmx yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.4 for RHEL 8 | automation-controller-0:4.5.10-1.el8ap | RHSA-2024:6428 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-3qf3-8w2g-rqmx in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.