GHSA-wc43-73w7-x2f5 — kratos
MEDIUMGHSA-wc43-73w7-x2f5 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.4) Improper Authentication vulnerability in github.com/ory/kratos. A fix is available for github.com/ory/kratos — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Ory Kratos's setting required_aal `highest_available` does not properly respect code + mfa credentials
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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-wc43-73w7-x2f5.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-wc43-73w7-x2f5 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/ory/kratosReal-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
Preconditions
- The
codelogin method is enabled with thepasswordless_enabledflag set totrue. - A 2FA method such as
totpis enabled. required_aalof the whomai check or the settings flow is set tohighest_available. AAL stands for Authenticator Assurance Levels and can range from 0 (no factor) to 2 (two factors).- A user uses the
codemethod as the only login method available. They do not have a password or any other first factor credential enabled. - The user has 2FA enabled.
- The user’s
available_aalis incorrectly stored in the database asaal1oraal0orNULL. - A user signs in using the code method, but does not complete the 2FA challenge.
Example server configuration
Below you will find an vulnerable example configuration. Keep in mind that, for the account to be vulnerable, the account must have no first factor except the code method enabled plus a second factor.
selfservice:
methods:
code:
# The `code` login method is enabled with the `passwordless_enabled` flag set to `true`
passwordless_enabled: true
totp:
# 2FA method such as `totp` is enabled
enabled: true
flows:
settings:
# This is set
required_aal: highest_available
session:
whoami:
# Or this
required_aal: highest_available
Impact
Given the preconditions, the highest_available setting will incorrectly assume that the identity’s highest available AAL is aal1 even though it really is aal2. This means that the highest_available configuration will act as if the user has only one factor set up, for that particular user. This means that they can call the settings and whoami endpoint without a aal2 session, even though that should be disallowed.
An attacker would need to steal or guess a valid login OTP of a user who has only OTP for login enabled and who has an incorrect available_aal value stored, to exploit this vulnerability.
All other aspects of the session (e.g. the session’s aal) are not impacted by this issue.
On Ory Network, only 0,00066% of registered users were affected by this issue, and most of those users appeared to be test users. Their respective AAL values have since been updated and they are no longer vulnerable to this attack.
Patches
Version 1.3.0 is not affected by this issue.
Workarounds
If you require 2FA please disable the passwordless code login method. If that is not possible, check the sessions aal to identify if the user has aal1 or aal2.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/ory/kratos | all versions | 1.3.0go get github.com/ory/kratos@v1.3.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/ory/kratos, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/ory/kratos to 1.3.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-wc43-73w7-x2f5 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-wc43-73w7-x2f5 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-wc43-73w7-x2f5. 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-wc43-73w7-x2f5 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-wc43-73w7-x2f5 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.