Vault Fault: Critical Flaws in CyberArk and HashiCorp Let Attackers Take Over Vaults Without Credentials

What if the keys to your company’s cloud, CI/CD, and production systems were one logic bug away from being stolen—no password, token, or cert required? That’s the unsettling scenario behind “Vault Fault,” a new set of 14 vulnerabilities found in enterprise secrets vaults from CyberArk and HashiCorp. The short version: with the right chain of bugs, a remote attacker could bypass authentication, impersonate identities, escalate privileges, and execute code—ultimately emptying your vault.

In this guide, I’ll break down what happened, why it matters, which CVEs to watch, and exactly what to do next. We’ll keep it simple, direct, and practical—because if you run CyberArk Secrets Manager, Conjur, or HashiCorp Vault, speed matters.

Let’s dive in.

What Is “Vault Fault” and Why It Matters

Cybersecurity researchers at identity security firm Cyata disclosed over a dozen vulnerabilities affecting:

CyberArk Secrets Manager (Self-Hosted)
CyberArk Conjur Open Source
HashiCorp Vault (Community and Enterprise)

Collectively named “Vault Fault,” the issues include authentication bypasses, policy enforcement bugs, privilege escalation, remote code execution (RCE), and even root token theft. The most severe chains can enable a remote takeover of the vault without valid credentials.

Here’s why that matters: secrets vaults sit at the center of your identity fabric. They generate dynamic credentials, broker access to cloud APIs, sign CI/CD jobs, and unlock databases. If an attacker owns the vault, they often own the business. It’s the difference between a breached app and a breached organization.

On the bright side, vendors have released fixes. On the urgent side, you need to patch now and assume exposure if you’re behind on updates.

Affected Products and Fixed Versions

Following responsible disclosure in May 2025, patches are available. Upgrade to at least the following:

CyberArk Secrets Manager and Self-Hosted: 13.5.1 and 13.6.1
CyberArk Conjur Open Source: 1.22.1
HashiCorp Vault Community Edition: 1.20.2
HashiCorp Vault Enterprise: 1.20.2, 1.19.8, 1.18.13, 1.16.24

If you’re not sure where to start, check your current version. If you’re below these numbers, prioritize updates immediately.

Helpful vendor pages: – HashiCorp Security Advisories – CyberArk Security Advisories – HashiCorp Vault Best Practices

The Headline CVEs You Need to Know

The research calls out several high-impact vulnerabilities. Here are the big ones, in plain English.

CyberArk Secrets Manager: IAM Bypass and Remote Code Execution

CVE-2025-49827 (CVSS 9.1): Bypass of IAM authenticator in CyberArk Secrets Manager
CVE-2025-49831 (CVSS 9.1): A related bypass via a misconfigured network device
CVE-2025-49828 (CVSS 8.6): Remote code execution in CyberArk Secrets Manager

What this means: – Attackers could forge valid-looking cloud identity (e.g., GetCallerIdentity) responses and trick the IAM authenticator. – In some environments, a misconfigured network device amplifies the risk, creating a dangerous “one-two punch.” – Under the right conditions, attackers could achieve remote code execution and take over the vault’s host system.

HashiCorp Vault: Plugin RCE and Privilege Escalation

CVE-2025-6000 (CVSS 9.1): Arbitrary remote code execution via plugin catalog abuse in HashiCorp Vault
CVE-2025-5999 (CVSS 7.2): Privilege escalation to root via policy normalization in HashiCorp Vault

Why this is severe: – Plugins in Vault are powerful. If an attacker can abuse the plugin catalog, they can run arbitrary code and subvert the security boundary. According to the report, this issue has existed for over nine years. – Policy normalization flaws can let an attacker punch through RBAC and escalate to root-level control—exactly what you don’t want in a secrets store.

The “Glue” CVE for Attack Chains

CVE-2025-6037: Certificate entity impersonation in HashiCorp Vault

On its own, a cert impersonation bug is serious. Combined with CVE-2025-5999 (policy escalation) and CVE-2025-6000 (plugin RCE), it’s a near-perfect storm. Researchers show how these pieces can break authentication, escalate, and run code—no buffer overflow required. It’s a pure logic attack path.

More HashiCorp Vault Weaknesses: Lockout Logic and MFA Gaps

The research also highlights weaknesses in Vault’s lockout protection:

Timing side-channel in lockout logic could let attackers infer valid usernames by measuring response times.
Lockout counter resets by changing username case (e.g., “admin” to “Admin”)—undermining brute-force throttling.
With LDAP auth and username_as_alias=true, MFA enforcement at the EntityID or IdentityGroup level could be bypassed.

If you rely on Vault for strong identity assurance, these are red flags. Here’s why that matters: small logic flaws in authentication and rate limiting can become big problems when combined with impersonation or policy bypasses.

Useful references: – Vault LDAP Auth Method – OWASP Authentication Cheat Sheet

CyberArk Conjur/Secrets Manager: From Unauthenticated to RCE

On the CyberArk side, the research demonstrates a chain that moves from no credentials to code execution:

Bypass IAM authentication by forging valid GetCallerIdentity responses
Authenticate as a policy resource
Abuse the Host Factory endpoint to create a new host that impersonates a valid policy template
Assign a malicious ERB (Embedded Ruby) payload to that host
Trigger execution via the Policy Factory endpoint

The key takeaway: an attacker can go from unauthenticated to running commands without ever providing a password, token, or cloud credentials. It’s not a memory corruption issue; it’s about how authentication and policy enforcement interact.

Learn more: – CyberArk Conjur Open Source – NVD Vulnerability Database

Stealth and Impact: Turning Features Against You

Two particularly troubling abuse paths were highlighted:

Control Groups in Vault can be undermined to send HTTP requests and receive responses without audit logging—a stealthy communication channel where you expect observability.
Attackers with RCE could delete the “core/hsm/_barrier-unseal-keys” file, turning an integrity mechanism into a ransomware-like lever. In practice, this could lock you out of the vault, disrupt business, and pressure you into paying.

To be clear, this requires deep access. But in the RCE scenario, defenders should plan for worst-case outcomes.

Helpful context: – Vault Policies and Control Groups

How Attackers Chain These Bugs (at a High Level)

To understand the risk, it helps to visualize the attacker’s path. Here’s a simplified view—no exploit details, just the logic:

Break the front door: Use an IAM or certificate impersonation bug to pass authentication checks.
Escalate inside: Exploit policy normalization to gain broader privileges, up to root.
Run code: Abuse the plugin catalog or RCE pathway to execute arbitrary code on the vault host.
Persist or exfiltrate: Steal root tokens, dump secrets, disable security controls, or quietly route network traffic through “invisible” channels.

Notice what’s missing: memory corruption, crash logs, or broken crypto. These are logic bugs. That makes them harder to spot in traditional telemetry.

For a broader view of post-auth tactics, review MITRE ATT&CK.

Who Is Most at Risk?

While every unpatched instance is at risk, certain setups are more exposed:

Environments using default or permissive plugin catalog controls in Vault
LDAP auth with username_as_alias enabled and MFA applied at the Entity or Group level
Networks with misconfigured middleboxes that can spoof or alter identity calls
Organizations that heavily automate identity flows (CI/CD, cloud IAM), where vaults are trusted implicitly
Vaults reachable from the internet or broad internal segments
Teams that haven’t rotated root tokens or have long-lived static secrets

If any of these sound familiar, consider your exposure significant.

Immediate Actions: What To Do Now

If you’re time-constrained, start here. These steps reduce risk fast.

Patch everything
Upgrade to the fixed versions listed above. Do not delay production upgrades.
Validate you’re running the target versions after maintenance windows.
Inventory your vault estate
Identify every CyberArk Secrets Manager, Conjur, and Vault instance—dev, staging, prod, DR.
Include containers, air-gapped sites, and test clusters that may be forgotten.
Lock down plugin catalogs (Vault)
Disable plugin catalog changes for non-admins.
Require signed and pinned plugins. Avoid dynamic installs.
Audit recent plugin catalog activity.
Revisit IAM and auth method configurations
Review IAM authenticators and any device or proxy that can influence identity requests.
For LDAP, re-check username_as_alias and how MFA is enforced.
Ensure all auth paths enforce MFA consistently and cannot be bypassed by casing or aliases.
Harden policy enforcement
Minimize wildcard and catch-all policies.
Explicitly deny where possible. Avoid policy overlaps that normalize into privilege.
Isolate admin functions from app workloads.
Rotate secrets and tokens
Rotate root tokens, unseal keys (as appropriate), and high-value secrets.
Shorten TTLs for new secrets. Prefer dynamic, per-use credentials.
Monitor and hunt
Look for unusual plugin activity, control-group anomalies, or sudden policy changes.
Watch for odd case variations of known usernames (e.g., Admin vs admin).
Flag access to sensitive paths and unseal key material.
Correlate authentication events with time-based anomalies (timing side channels may show up as timing variance).
Segment and restrict network access
Isolate vaults in a Tier-0 network. Limit admin access to hardened stations.
Enforce mTLS for client connections and strict egress controls for the vault host.
Prepare for break-glass
Back up vault data and configs securely.
Test recovery and rekeying procedures.
Document how to recover from deleted or corrupted unseal key files.

Resources: – CVE Program – OWASP Access Control Cheat Sheet

Hardening Checklist: Defense in Depth for Secrets Vaults

Use this checklist to reduce blast radius and make future logic bugs less catastrophic.

Architecture and network
Place vaults in isolated, non-internet-facing networks with strict ingress/egress.
Use dedicated jump hosts for admin access with strong MFA and device posture checks.
Terminate TLS properly and enforce mTLS for all clients.
Identity controls
Prefer OIDC/JWT or cloud-native auth with tight claim validation and IP restrictions.
Enforce consistent MFA across all auth methods; avoid exceptions by alias or group.
Eliminate long-lived static credentials; use short TTLs and dynamic secrets.
Policy hygiene
Keep policies least-privileged and explicit. Avoid wildcard matches.
Separate duties: plugin management, policy authoring, and secret access should be different roles.
Use namespaces or projects to silo tenants and environments.
Plugin and extensibility controls (Vault)
Require signed plugins with version pinning.
Maintain a change control process for plugin catalog updates.
Disable unused auth methods and backends.
Audit and observability
Ship audit logs to a tamper-evident, append-only store.
Alert on policy changes, plugin modifications, root token usage, and control-group bypass patterns.
Baseline normal request rates to detect timing and brute-force anomalies.
Secrets lifecycle
Automate rotation triggered by events (patching, incident response, user offboarding).
Prefer database and cloud secrets engines that mint on-demand credentials.
Scan CI/CD pipelines for hardcoded secrets and migrate them into the vault.
Recovery and governance
Test unseal, rekey, and restore procedures regularly.
Maintain an incident runbook specific to vault compromise.
Conduct tabletop exercises with app, IAM, and security teams.

For vendor-specific configuration guidance, see the official docs: – HashiCorp Vault Best Practices – CyberArk Documentation

How to Assess Business Impact

Executives will ask: “What’s the worst that could happen?” Here’s a concise translation:

Unauthorized secret access leads to cloud account takeover, CI/CD signing abuse, and database dumps.
Lateral movement accelerates as attackers mint credentials on demand.
Downtime risk increases if attackers corrupt unseal artifacts or disrupt control-plane operations.
Compliance exposure grows (e.g., SOX, HIPAA, PCI) due to weak identity controls and audit gaps.
Breach containment is harder because these are logic abuses with limited crash telemetry.

If your vault touches production, revenue, or sensitive data, treat this as a top-tier priority.

A Sensible Remediation Plan for Large Organizations

If you manage dozens of vaults across teams, move in phases:

Phase 0: Freeze risky changes
Pause plugin catalog edits and policy broadening until patching is complete.
Phase 1: Patch and protect
Upgrade all instances. Start with internet-adjacent or shared vaults.
Lock down plugin management and enforce signed-only plugins.
Phase 2: Validate and rotate
Verify MFA enforcement and case-insensitivity for lockout.
Rotate root tokens and high-value secrets. Shorten TTLs going forward.
Phase 3: Hunt and harden
Review audit logs for anomalies over the last 90 days.
Implement the hardening checklist above.
Phase 4: Institutionalize
Add vault controls to your Tier-0 governance.
Include vault compromise in your incident playbooks and tabletop exercises.

FAQs: People Also Ask

Q: Are CyberArk and HashiCorp safe to use after patching?
A: Yes—apply the vendor fixes and follow hardening guidance. These are mature platforms. The risk comes from unpatched instances and weak configurations, not from using vaults per se.

Q: Which CVEs are the most critical?
A: Focus on CVE-2025-6000 (Vault plugin RCE), CVE-2025-5999 (Vault privilege escalation), CVE-2025-49827/49831 (CyberArk IAM bypasses), and CVE-2025-49828 (CyberArk RCE). CVE-2025-6037 (cert impersonation) is important as part of attack chains.

Q: How do I know if my vault is vulnerable?
A: Check your version against the fixed releases. If you’re below them, you’re exposed. Review vendor advisories: HashiCorp Security Advisories, CyberArk Security Advisories.

Q: Do I need to rotate secrets after patching?
A: Assume potential exposure if your instance was unpatched or internet-reachable. Rotate root tokens, unseal keys (as appropriate), and high-value app secrets. Shorten TTLs and move to dynamic secrets.

Q: Does this affect HashiCorp Vault Community Edition or only Enterprise?
A: Both. Vault Community Edition 1.20.2 and Enterprise 1.20.2, 1.19.8, 1.18.13, and 1.16.24 contain fixes.

Q: What about CyberArk Conjur Open Source?
A: Conjur Open Source 1.22.1 includes fixes. Upgrade if you’re on an earlier version.

Q: How could attackers bypass MFA in Vault?
A: In certain LDAP configurations (username_as_alias=true) with MFA enforced at EntityID or IdentityGroup, logic gaps could be abused. Review your LDAP auth config and MFA scope.

Q: Is there public exploit code?
A: Responsible disclosure typically delays exploit details. Don’t wait for proof-of-concept code to appear—patch and harden now.

Q: Are air-gapped or on-prem deployments safe?
A: Air-gapped reduces exposure but doesn’t remove it. Insider risk, lateral movement, and supply-chain threats still apply. Patch and monitor regardless of connectivity.

Q: What should I monitor for possible compromise?
A: Look for plugin catalog changes, unexpected policy edits, out-of-pattern Control Group activity, case-flipped usernames, spikes in Host Factory usage (CyberArk), and access to sensitive internal paths.

The Bottom Line

Vault Fault is a wake-up call. These aren’t exotic memory bugs; they’re logic flaws that quietly sidestep the very controls we trust most—authentication, policy enforcement, and plugin execution. The fix is straightforward: patch fast, harden configurations, tighten identity flows, and monitor like a hawk.

If you only do three things today: – Upgrade to the vendor-patched versions. – Lock down plugin catalogs and policy updates. – Rotate root tokens and high-value secrets.

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