@clerk/nextjs auth() and getAuth() methods vulnerable to insecure direct object reference (IDOR)GHSA-q6w5-jg5q-47vg
CRITICALGHSA-q6w5-jg5q-47vg is a critical-severity (CVSS 9) CWE-284 vulnerability in @clerk/nextjs. A fix is available for @clerk/nextjs — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-q6w5-jg5q-47vg.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.
@clerk/nextjsnpmDescription
Impact
Unauthorized access or privilege escalation due to a logic flaw in auth() in the App Router or getAuth() in the Pages Router.
Affected Versions
All applications that that use @clerk/nextjs versions in the range of >= 4.7.0,< 4.29.3 in a Next.js backend to authenticate API Routes, App Router, or Route handlers. Specifically, those that call auth() in the App Router or getAuth() in the Pages Router. Only the @clerk/nextjs SDK is impacted. Other SDKs, including other Javascript-based SDKs, are not impacted.
Patches
Fix included in @clerk/[email protected].
References
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📦npm | @clerk/nextjs | ≥ 4.7.0&&< 4.29.3 | 4.29.3npm install @clerk/nextjs@4.29.3 |
Affected Products
javascriptclerkDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for @clerk/nextjs, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update @clerk/nextjs to 4.29.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-q6w5-jg5q-47vg is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-q6w5-jg5q-47vg in your dependencies?
Find it across npm, including transitive dependencies.