GHSA-7ff4-jw48-3436
GHSA-7ff4-jw48-3436 is a CWE-266 vulnerability in github.com/openbao/openbao. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-7ff4-jw48-3436 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
OpenBao is Vulnerable to Privileged Operator Identity Group Root Escalation
Blast Radius
github.com/openbao/openbaoReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Impact
Similar to HCSEC-2025-13 / CVE-2025-5999, a privileged operator could use the identity group subsystem to add a root policy to a group identity group, escalating their or another user's permissions in the system. Specifically this is an issue when:
- An operator in the root namespace has access to
identity/groupsendpoints. - An operator does not have policy access.
Otherwise, an operator with policy access could create or modify an existing policy to grant root-equivalent permissions through the sudo capability.
Patches
Patched in version 2.4.4.
Workarounds
Users should audit the use of identity subsystem and deny operators access if it is not in use.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/openbao/openbao | all versions | 2.4.4 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/openbao/openbao. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/openbao/openbao to 2.4.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-7ff4-jw48-3436 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-7ff4-jw48-3436 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-7ff4-jw48-3436. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-7ff4-jw48-3436 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-7ff4-jw48-3436 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.