CVE-2025-49831: CyberArk Conjur Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2025-49831 Overview

CVE-2025-49831 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability affecting CyberArk Secrets Manager Self-Hosted installations and Conjur OSS. The vulnerability allows an attacker to reroute authentication requests to a malicious server under their control when traffic from Secrets Manager to AWS passes through a misconfigured network device. This flaw enables attackers to intercept and manipulate authentication flows, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive secrets and credentials managed by the affected systems.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows attackers to redirect authentication requests to attacker-controlled servers, enabling credential theft and unauthorized access to secrets management infrastructure.

Affected Products

• CyberArk Secrets Manager, Self-Hosted (formerly Conjur Enterprise) prior to versions 13.5.1 and 13.6.1
• CyberArk Conjur OSS prior to version 1.22.1
• CyberArk Conjur Enterprise version 13.6 (unpatched)

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-07-15 - CVE-2025-49831 published to NVD
• 2025-11-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-49831

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability falls under CWE-287 (Improper Authentication), representing a critical flaw in how the affected CyberArk products handle authentication requests when communicating with AWS services. The issue specifically manifests in Self-Hosted installations where network traffic between Secrets Manager and AWS traverses through misconfigured network devices.

When authentication requests are routed through a vulnerable network path, an attacker positioned on the network can intercept and redirect these requests to a malicious server. This man-in-the-middle scenario allows the attacker to capture authentication credentials or tokens, potentially impersonate legitimate users, and gain unauthorized access to the secrets management infrastructure.

CyberArk has indicated that the number of vulnerable installations where this issue can be actively exploited is believed to be very limited, as it requires a specific network misconfiguration to be present. However, organizations using Self-Hosted deployments should carefully evaluate their network architecture to determine exposure.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-49831 is improper validation of the authentication endpoint when Secrets Manager communicates with AWS services. The application fails to properly verify that authentication requests are being sent to legitimate AWS endpoints, allowing a misconfigured network device to redirect traffic to an attacker-controlled server without detection.

Attack Vector

The attack requires network-level access to intercept traffic between the Secrets Manager installation and AWS services. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability would:

1. Position themselves on the network path between Secrets Manager and AWS (or compromise a network device in this path)
2. Configure the misconfigured network device to redirect authentication traffic to an attacker-controlled server
3. Capture authentication tokens and credentials as they are transmitted
4. Use the captured credentials to authenticate as legitimate users or services
5. Access secrets stored in the compromised Secrets Manager installation

The attack is network-based and does not require prior authentication, though it does require the prerequisite network misconfiguration to be present. For additional technical details, refer to the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-952q-mjrf-wp5j.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-49831

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected DNS resolution changes for AWS authentication endpoints
• Authentication requests being routed to non-AWS IP addresses
• Unusual SSL/TLS certificate errors or certificate changes for AWS endpoints
• Authentication failures followed by successful authentications from unexpected sources

Detection Strategies

• Monitor network traffic for authentication requests to non-standard endpoints or IP addresses not belonging to AWS
• Implement certificate pinning monitoring to detect changes in expected SSL/TLS certificates for AWS services
• Analyze network device configurations for unauthorized changes to routing rules affecting AWS traffic
• Review authentication logs for patterns indicating credential replay or unauthorized access attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed logging for all authentication events in Secrets Manager and Conjur installations
• Implement network flow monitoring between Secrets Manager and AWS services
• Configure alerts for DNS resolution anomalies affecting AWS service endpoints
• Deploy network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) to identify suspicious traffic redirection patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-49831

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Conjur OSS to version 1.22.1 or later immediately
• Upgrade Secrets Manager Self-Hosted to version 13.5.1 or 13.6.1 depending on your version branch
• Audit network device configurations between Secrets Manager installations and AWS endpoints
• Review network architecture to identify any potential traffic interception points

Patch Information

CyberArk has released security patches that address this vulnerability. The following versions contain the fix:

• Conjur OSS: Version 1.22.1 - Available via the GitHub Conjur Release v1.22.1
• Secrets Manager Self-Hosted: Versions 13.5.1 and 13.6.1

Organizations should prioritize upgrading to these patched versions. Additional details are available in the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-952q-mjrf-wp5j.

Workarounds

• Implement strict network segmentation to isolate Secrets Manager installations from potentially compromised network devices
• Configure certificate pinning for AWS authentication endpoints where possible
• Use VPN or direct connect solutions to establish secure, dedicated connections to AWS services
• Deploy network monitoring to detect and alert on traffic redirection attempts

# Network verification example - Verify DNS resolution for AWS endpoints
nslookup sts.amazonaws.com
dig +short sts.amazonaws.com

# Check certificate validity for AWS STS endpoint
openssl s_client -connect sts.amazonaws.com:443 -servername sts.amazonaws.com < /dev/null 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -issuer -subject -dates