GHSA-gjxx-92w9-8v8f
HIGHGHSA-gjxx-92w9-8v8f is a high-severity (CVSS 7.4) Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in @clerk/backend. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-gjxx-92w9-8v8f is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Clerk: SSRF in the opt-in clerkFrontendApiProxy feature may leak secret keys to unintended host
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, a proxy for how much of the ecosystem is exposed.
@clerk/backendnpm@clerk/expressnpm@clerk/hononpmDescription
Summary
The clerkFrontendApiProxy function in @clerk/backend is vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF). An unauthenticated attacker can craft a request path that causes the proxy to send the application's Clerk-Secret-Key to an attacker-controlled server.
Affected packages
Only applications that have opted into the frontendApiProxy feature are affected. This feature is not enabled by default. Users of @clerk/nextjs are not affected due to how the framework handles repeated / in request paths.
| Package | Affected versions | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
@clerk/backend | >= 3.0.0, <= 3.2.2 | 3.2.3 |
@clerk/express | >= 2.0.0, <= 2.0.6 | 2.0.7 |
@clerk/hono | >= 0.1.0, <= 0.1.4 | 0.1.5 |
@clerk/fastify | >= 3.1.0, <= 3.1.4 | 3.1.5 |
Search your codebase for the frontendApiProxy option. If none of the patterns below appear in your code, you are not affected.
@clerk/express
app.use(clerkMiddleware({ frontendApiProxy: { enabled: true } }));
@clerk/hono
app.use('*', clerkMiddleware({ frontendApiProxy: { enabled: true } }));
@clerk/fastify
fastify.register(clerkPlugin, { frontendApiProxy: { enabled: true } });
@clerk/backend
import { clerkFrontendApiProxy } from '@clerk/backend/proxy';
A quick way to check across your entire project:
grep -r "frontendApiProxy\|clerkFrontendApiProxy" .
If there are no matches, you are not using this feature.
Recommended actions
Clerk's internal logs show no evidence of users utilizing the built-in proxy with the impacted versions. Despite that, if you are on an impacted version and use the built-in proxy we recommend upgrading and rotating your Clerk Secret Key immediately.
- Upgrade to the patched version of
@clerk/backend(and@clerk/express,@clerk/hono, etc.) - Rotate your Clerk Secret Key after upgrading - if an attacker exploited this vulnerability, they may have captured your key. Rotate it in the Clerk Dashboard under API Keys. You should deploy your application with the updated key before revoking the existing key.
- Audit access logs for requests to your proxy endpoint (
/__clerk/by default) containing double slashes in the path.
Credit
Discovered during an internal code audit.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @clerk/backend | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.2.3 | 3.2.3 |
| 📦npm | @clerk/express | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.7 | 2.0.7 |
| 📦npm | @clerk/hono | ≥ 0.1.0&&< 0.1.5 | 0.1.5 |
| 📦npm | @clerk/fastify | ≥ 3.1.0&&< 3.1.5 | 3.1.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @clerk/backend. 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 @clerk/backend to 3.2.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-gjxx-92w9-8v8f 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-gjxx-92w9-8v8f 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-gjxx-92w9-8v8f. 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-gjxx-92w9-8v8f in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-gjxx-92w9-8v8f across npm dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.