Vulnerability · Published Dec 17, 2025 · Assigned by talos
CVE-2025-44005
Critical 10.0
In plain English
A critical-severity improper authentication in Step-CA from smallstep. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 9.1% (higher than 95% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Severity (CVSS 3.1)10.0Critical
Exploit odds (30 days)9.1%top 4.7% of all CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: poc
Attack toolingNoneno public tooling known
Official description
An attacker can bypass authorization checks and force a Step CA ACME or SCEP provisioner to create certificates without completing certain protocol authorization checks.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine:v3.22 | step-certificates | 0.29.0-r0 | ALPINE-CVE-2025-44005 |
| Alpine:v3.23 | step-certificates | 0.29.0-r0 | ALPINE-CVE-2025-44005 |
| Alpine:v3.24 | step-certificates | 0.29.0-r0 | ALPINE-CVE-2025-44005 |
| Go | github.com/smallstep/certificates | 0.29.0 | GHSA-h8cp-697h-8c8p |
| Go | github.com/smallstep/certificates | 0.29.0 | GO-2025-4180 |
Affected products (as reported)
Weakness: CWE-287 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N