Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconIdentify target using sealed-env enterprise mode
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DeliveryGain read access to CI/CD logs or monitoring platform
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ExploitExtract JWS unseal token from observable output
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InstallBase64-decode JWS payload
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C2Extract plaintext TOTP secret from JSON
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ExecuteGenerate valid TOTP codes using extracted secret
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ImpactAuthenticate as operator to sealed-env protected systems
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V14 - Data Protection Data exposure prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Collection, Discovery The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Vulnerability affects ONLY sealed-env enterprise mode - basic mode installations are NOT vulnerable. Exploitation requires network-level observation of minted unseal tokens, which occurs in default deployments where tokens appear in: CI/CD pipeline logs (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins console output), container runtime environments (docker inspect, kubectl describe pod output), application performance monitoring integrations (Sentry breadcrumbs, Datadog traces), centralized logging aggregation (rsyslog, Fluentd forwarding), or error reporting platforms (Rollbar, Bugsnag stack traces). No authentication, user interaction, or special configuration required for exploitation once token observation occurs (CVSS PR:N/UI:N). Alpha version software (0.1.0-alpha.x) suggests limited production deployment, reducing real-world attack surface compared to stable releases. Exploitation limited to environments where: (a) enterprise mode is explicitly enabled, (b) unseal token generation occurs, and (c) tokens propagate to observable infrastructure. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is CRITICAL despite absence of confirmed exploitation. CVSS 9.1 accurately reflects severity: network-accessible (AV:N), low complexity (AC:L), no privileges or user interaction required (PR:N/UI:N), high confidentiality and integrity impact (C:H/I:H). Attack surface is extensive - tokens appear in CI/CD build logs (GitHub Actions, Jenkins), container orchestration outputs (kubectl describe pod, docker inspect), application monitoring platforms (Sentry, Rollbar, Datadog), centralized logging systems (Splunk, ELK), and error reporting tools. TOTP secret exposure enables persistent authentication bypass, not just one-time credential theft. No EPSS score available for this 2026 CVE, but exploitation requires only network observation and base64 decoding - trivially automatable with no specialized tools. Absence from CISA KEV likely reflects the library's alpha status and limited enterprise deployment rather than low exploitability. Organizations using alpha versions in production face immediate credential compromise risk. The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning compromise remains within the vulnerable component, but extracted TOTP secrets grant lasting access to protected systems. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker monitors a target organization's CI/CD pipeline outputs or gains read access to a centralized logging platform where sealed-env unseal tokens are recorded during application deployment. The attacker extracts a JWS token from build logs, decodes the base64 payload to reveal the embedded TOTP secret in plaintext JSON, and uses this secret to generate valid time-based authentication codes. With valid TOTP codes, the attacker authenticates as the operator to sealed-env protected systems, accessing encrypted secrets or administrative functions without further authorization challenges. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – May 12, 2026
Plaintext TOTP secret exposure in sealed-env enterprise mode allows remote unauthenticated attackers to extract operator authentication credentials from base64-decoded JWS tokens. Versions 0.1.0-alpha.1 through 0.1.0-alpha.3 embed literal TOTP secrets in every minted unseal token's JWS payload without encryption, enabling credential harvesting from CI logs, container environments, monitoring tools, and log aggregators. Fixed in version 0.1.0-alpha.4. CVSS 9.1 (Critical) with network vector and no authentication required. No CISA KEV listing or public exploit code identified at time of analysis, but exploitation requires only base64 decoding of observable tokens.
RemediationAI
Upgrade sealed-env to version 0.1.0-alpha.4 or later immediately, as this version removes TOTP secret embedding from JWS payloads per the vendor security advisory at https://github.com/davidalmeidac/sealed-env/security/advisories/GHSA-x3r2-fj3r-g5mv. After upgrading, MANDATORY follow-up actions: (1) Rotate all TOTP secrets for operators who used affected versions - compromised secrets remain valid indefinitely until changed. (2) Audit historical logs, CI/CD build outputs, monitoring platform archives, and error tracking systems for exposed tokens containing TOTP secrets; purge or redact these records. (3) Review authentication logs for unauthorized access using potentially compromised TOTP credentials. If immediate upgrade is impossible, emergency compensating controls include: disabling sealed-env enterprise mode and reverting to basic mode (eliminates TOTP token generation but reduces functionality), implementing network segmentation to restrict token observation points (reduces exposure surface but does not eliminate risk from legitimate monitoring tools), and implementing runtime secrets scanning to detect base64-encoded TOTP patterns in logs (detection-only, does not prevent initial exposure). All workarounds are temporary mitigations with significant operational trade-offs; only upgrading and credential rotation fully resolves the vulnerability.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 3 packages in maven, npm, euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
sealed-env is a cross-stack secret management library for Node.js and Java/Spring Boot environments implementing zero-trust principles. JWS (JSON Web Signature) tokens use base64url-encoded JSON payloads that are cryptographically signed but NOT encrypted - the payload remains readable to anyone with the token. TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) secrets are cryptographic seeds used to generate authentication codes; exposure of the TOTP secret allows attackers to generate valid authentication tokens indefinitely until the secret is rotated. This vulnerability represents CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor), specifically cleartext storage of credentials in a signed-but-unencrypted data structure. The affected CPE (cpe:2.3:a:davidalmeidac:sealed-env) indicates this impacts the davidalmeidac implementation across both Node.js and Java/Spring Boot platforms when operating in enterprise mode.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Primary rating from Vendor (GitHub_M) · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorVendor: GitHub_M
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
sealed-env is a cross-stack, zero-trust secret management library for Node.js and Java/Spring Boot. In sealed-env enterprise mode, versions 0.1.0-alpha.1 through 0.1.0-alpha.3 embedded the operator's literal TOTP secret in the JWS payload of every minted unseal token. JWS payload is base64-encoded JSON, NOT encrypted. Any party who could observe a minted token (CI build logs, container env dumps, kubectl describe pod, Sentry/Rollbar stack traces, log aggregators) could decode the payload and extract the TOTP secret in plaintext. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.1.0-alpha.4.
Blast Radius
ecosystem impact- 1 maven packages depend on io.github.davidalmeidac:sealed-env-core (1 direct, 0 indirect)
Ecosystem-wide dependent count for version 0.1.0-alpha.4.
Articles & Coverage 1
Executive ViewAI
CVE-2026-45091 exposes TOTP operator authentication credentials in plaintext within sealed-env enterprise mode tokens (versions 0.1.0-alpha.1 through 0.1.0-alpha.3), allowing unauthenticated attackers to harvest credentials from logs and monitoring systems. Any organization using affected versions risks unauthorized operator access and full infrastructure compromise through credential theft from CI/CD pipelines, container logs, and log aggregation platforms.
No interim mitigations available pending patch deployment. Vendor-released patch: sealed-env version 0.1.0-alpha.4. Immediate actions: restrict access to logs and monitoring systems containing unseal tokens; implement network segmentation isolating sealed-env from untrusted environments; monitor for unauthorized operator authentication activity.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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EUVD-2026-29476
GHSA-x3r2-fj3r-g5mv
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB