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Fides' Admin UI User Password Change Does Not Invalidate Current Session

Low severity GitHub Reviewed Published Sep 8, 2025 in ethyca/fides • Updated Sep 13, 2025

Package

pip ethyca-fides (pip)

Affected versions

< 2.69.1

Patched versions

2.69.1

Description

Summary

Admin UI user password changes in Fides do not invalidate active user sessions, creating a vulnerability chaining opportunity where attackers who have obtained session tokens through other attack vectors (such as XSS) can maintain access even after password reset. This issue is not directly exploitable on its own and requires a prerequisite vulnerability to obtain valid session tokens in the first place.

Details

Fides uses encrypted authentication tokens with extended expiration periods. When a password is changed via password reset endpoints, the system updates the password hash in the database but does not invalidate existing client sessions or tokens. The authentication system validates tokens based on their cryptographic integrity and expiration time, not against the current password state.

The frontend application stores authentication state in browser local storage, which persists across browser sessions until explicit logout or natural token expiration.

This behavior alone does not constitute a directly exploitable vulnerability. The security issue only becomes exploitable when chained with other vulnerabilities or conditions that allow attackers to obtain valid session tokens, such as:

  • Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks that can access browser storage where tokens are stored
  • Session hijacking through network interception
  • Malware on the user's device that can read browser storage
  • Physical device access where attackers can access browser storage directly

Impact

This vulnerability serves as a persistence mechanism in attack chains rather than a primary attack vector. When chained with token theft vulnerabilities, it allows attackers to:

  • Maintain access beyond the remediation window when users change passwords in response to suspected compromise
  • Extend the impact timeframe of client-side attacks from minutes/hours to potentially an extended period
  • Defeat common incident response procedures that rely on password changes to secure compromised accounts

Stored tokens persist across browser sessions until explicit logout or natural expiration.

Patches

The vulnerability has been patched in Fides version 2.69.1. Users are advised to upgrade to this version or later to secure their systems against this threat.

Workarounds

There are no workarounds.

Severity

This vulnerability has been assigned a severity of LOW because:

  • No direct exploitability - requires chaining with other vulnerabilities
  • High attack complexity - multiple successful exploits needed
  • Limited standalone impact - only extends existing compromises
  • Aligns with industry standard classifications of LOW severity for session invalidation failures

This is fundamentally a defense-in-depth issue rather than a primary security vulnerability.

References

@daveqnet daveqnet published to ethyca/fides Sep 8, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Sep 8, 2025
Reviewed Sep 8, 2025
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Sep 8, 2025
Last updated Sep 13, 2025

Severity

Low

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 Low
Attack Requirements Present
Privileges Required None
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality Low
Integrity Low
Availability None
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:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U

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.
(6th percentile)

Weaknesses

Insufficient Session Expiration

According to WASC, Insufficient Session Expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session IDs for authorization. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2025-57766

GHSA ID

GHSA-rpw8-82v9-3q87

Source code

Credits

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