---
id: CVE-2025-5999
aliases:
  - GHSA-6h4p-m86h-hhgh
  - BIT-vault-2025-5999
  - GO-2025-3837
title: Hashicorp Vault has Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
summary: Hashicorp Vault has Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
severity: high
cvss: 7.2
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
vendor: hashicorp
product: github.com/hashicorp/vault
ecosystem: go
affected:
  - 'github.com/hashicorp/vault >= 0.10.4, < 1.20.0'
patched:
  - github.com/hashicorp/vault 1.20.0
published: '2025-08-01'
updated: '2026-09-10'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-10T03:50:26.744573585Z'
source: OSV
sourceUrl: 'https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-6h4p-m86h-hhgh'
references:
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-5999'
  - url: >-
      https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2025-13-vault-root-namespace-operator-may-elevate-token-privileges/76032
  - url: 'https://github.com/hashicorp/vault'
tags:
  - osv
  - go
epss: 0.00509
epssPercentile: 0.40926
ingestedAt: '2026-09-12T03:13:01.759Z'
---

## Overview

A privileged Vault operator with write permissions to the root namespace’s identity endpoint could escalate their own or another user’s token privileges to Vault’s root policy. Fixed in Vault Community Edition 1.20.0 and Vault Enterprise 1.20.0, 1.19.6, 1.18.11 and 1.16.22.

## Affected packages

- `github.com/hashicorp/vault >= 0.10.4, < 1.20.0`

## Remediation

Upgrade to a patched release:

- `github.com/hashicorp/vault 1.20.0`