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Authentication Bypass via Default JWT Secret in NocoBase docker-compose Deployments

Moderate severity GitHub Reviewed Published Dec 9, 2025 in nocobase/nocobase • Updated Dec 9, 2025

Package

npm @nocobase/auth (npm)

Affected versions

>= 1.9.0, <= 1.9.21
<= 1.9.0-beta.17
>= 2.0.0-alpha.1, <= 2.0.0-alpha.51

Patched versions

1.9.23
1.9.0-beta.18
2.0.0-alpha.52

Description

Impact

CVE-2025-13877 is an authentication bypass vulnerability caused by insecure default JWT key usage in NocoBase Docker deployments.

Because the official one-click Docker deployment configuration historically provided a public default JWT key, attackers can forge valid JWT tokens without possessing any legitimate credentials. By constructing a token with a known userId (commonly the administrator account), an attacker can directly bypass authentication and authorization checks.

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to:

  • Bypass authentication entirely
  • Impersonate arbitrary users
  • Gain full administrator privileges
  • Access sensitive business data
  • Create, modify, or delete users
  • Access cloud storage credentials and other protected secrets

The vulnerability is remotely exploitable, requires no authentication, and public proof-of-concept exploits are available.
This issue is functionally equivalent in impact to other JWT secret exposure vulnerabilities such as CVE-2024-43441 and CVE-2025-30206.

Deployments that used the default Docker configuration without explicitly overriding the JWT secret are affected.

Patches

✅ The vulnerability has been fully patched through a secure JWT key management redesign.

The remediation enforces the following security guarantees:

  • JWT secrets are no longer allowed to fall back to public default values.
  • Secrets must either:
    • Be explicitly provided by the user, or
    • Be securely generated using cryptographically strong randomness at first startup.
  • Generated secrets are persisted securely with restricted filesystem permissions.
  • Invalid or weak secret values immediately trigger a startup failure.

✅ Fixed Versions:

  • NocoBase ≥ 1.9.23
  • NocoBase ≥ 1.9.0-beta.18
  • NocoBase ≥ 2.0.0-alpha.52

Workarounds

If upgrading is not immediately possible, the following temporary mitigations must be performed to reduce risk:

  1. Explicitly set a strong, randomly generated JWT secret via environment variables APP_KEY.
  2. Restart all running NocoBase instances so the new secret takes effect.
  3. Invalidate all existing JWT sessions, forcing complete user re-authentication.
  4. Verify that no default secret values are present in:
    • docker-compose.yml
    • .env files
    • Kubernetes Secrets

References

References

@2013xile 2013xile published to nocobase/nocobase Dec 9, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Dec 9, 2025
Reviewed Dec 9, 2025
Last updated Dec 9, 2025

Severity

Moderate

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector Network
Attack Complexity High
Attack Requirements None
Privileges Required None
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality Low
Integrity Low
Availability Low
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality None
Integrity None
Availability None

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(15th percentile)

Weaknesses

Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key

The product uses a hard-coded, unchangeable cryptographic key. Learn more on MITRE.

Improper Protection for Outbound Error Messages and Alert Signals

Untrusted agents can disable alerts about signal conditions exceeding limits or the response mechanism that handles such alerts. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2025-13877

GHSA ID

GHSA-mv7p-34fv-4874

Source code

Credits

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