File reference keys leads to incorrect hashes on HMAC algorithmsGHSA-7322-jrq4-x5hf
MEDIUMFix: lcobucci/jwt@8175de5GHSA-7322-jrq4-x5hf is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.4) CWE-345 vulnerability in lcobucci/jwt. A fix is available for lcobucci/jwt — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-7322-jrq4-x5hf by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
lcobucci/jwt🐘lcobucci/jwt🐘lcobucci/jwtReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
Users of HMAC-based algorithms (HS256, HS384, and HS512) combined with Lcobucci\JWT\Signer\Key\LocalFileReference as key are having their tokens issued/validated using the file path as hashing key - instead of the contents.
The HMAC hashing functions take any string as input and, since users can issue and validate tokens, people are lead to believe that everything works properly.
Patches
All versions have been patched to always load the file contents, deprecated the Lcobucci\JWT\Signer\Key\LocalFileReference, and suggest Lcobucci\JWT\Signer\Key\InMemory as the alternative.
Workarounds
Use Lcobucci\JWT\Signer\Key\InMemory instead of Lcobucci\JWT\Signer\Key\LocalFileReference to create the instances of your keys:
-use Lcobucci\JWT\Signer\Key\LocalFileReference;
+use Lcobucci\JWT\Signer\Key\InMemory;
-$key = LocalFileReference::file(__DIR__ . '/public-key.pem');
+$key = InMemory::file(__DIR__ . '/public-key.pem');
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | lcobucci/jwt | ≥ 3.4.0&&< 3.4.6 | 3.4.6composer require lcobucci/jwt:^3.4.6 |
| 🐘Packagist | lcobucci/jwt | ≥ 4.0.0&&< 4.0.4 | 4.0.4composer require lcobucci/jwt:^4.0.4 |
| 🐘Packagist | lcobucci/jwt | ≥ 4.1.0&&< 4.1.5 | 4.1.5composer require lcobucci/jwt:^4.1.5 |
Affected Products
jwtlcobucciDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for lcobucci/jwt, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update lcobucci/jwt to 3.4.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-7322-jrq4-x5hf is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-7322-jrq4-x5hf in your dependencies?
Find it across Packagist, including transitive dependencies.