10

CVE-2025-44005: smallstep step-ca Improper Authentication

CVSS: 10.0v3.1CriticalDeferred
AliasesCGA-2chm-9x44-vx32CGA-fwg3-gfp3-rphrCGA-q6ph-rpqx-9jqq
Published 17-12-2025Last modified 17-12-2025
Open JSON

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2025-44005 is a critical (CVSS 10.0) Improper Authentication vulnerability in smallstep step-ca. EPSS estimates a 9.09% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 95.2% of scored vulnerabilities.

Overall risk
70/100
0100
High · default modelHow is this calculated?
CVSS score
10.0/10
010
Critical · v3.1 (CVE.org)
EPSS score
9.09%
0%100%
Low · 0.00 pp in 30 days
KEVNot listedIn no KEV catalog
RansomwareNone recordedNo known use recorded
Public exploits0No public exploits recorded

Advisory lineage

Upstream 0 · Downstream 2 · Related 4
OPENSUSE-SU-2026:21483-1SUSE-SU-2025:4395-1CGA-7HJC-GX94-QF7JCGA-FFJG-5F45-G48F

Timeline

  1. 17-12-2025
    PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
  2. 17-12-2025
    Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

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.

CVSS metrics

5 scores · 5 sources · 1 version

EPSS trend

Probability

9.09%

Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days

Percentile

95%

Versus all other CVEs

30-day change

0.00 pp

From 9.09% on 19-09-2026

19-09-202619-10-2026
EPSS score
9.09%

Known exploited

Compare KEV catalogs

Not in any of the 3 tracked catalogs.

Public exploits

0 found

No public exploits indexed.

Weaknesses

CWE · root cause

Affected systems

Chainguard4 products
  • caddy< 2.10.2-r6
  • caddy-fips< 2.10.2-r6
  • caddy-man< 2.10.2-r6
  • caddy-src< 2.10.2-r6
Wolfi3 products
  • caddy< 2.10.2-r6
  • caddy-man< 2.10.2-r6
  • caddy-src< 2.10.2-r6
Github.com/smallstep1 product
  • certificates< 0.29.0
Smallstep1 product

4 vendors · 9 products

References

7 links