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Biscuit JavaApplication · Biscuitsec

CVE-2024-41948

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
56/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
biscuit-java is the java implementation of Biscuit, an authentication and authorization token for microservices architectures. Third-party blocks can be generated without transferring the whole token to the third-party authority. Instead, a ThirdPartyBlock request can be sent, providing only the necessary info to generate a third-party block and to sign it, which includes the public key of the previous block (used in the signature) and the public keys part of the token symbol table (for public key interning in datalog expressions). A third-part block request forged by a malicious user can trick the third-party authority into generating datalog trusting the wrong keypair. This vulnerability is fixed in 4.0.0.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

In biscuit-java, a ThirdPartyBlock request allows generating third-party authorization blocks without transferring the full token. The request includes the previous block's public key (for signature verification) and public keys from the token symbol table. A maliciously forged request can cause the third-party authority to generate datalog rules trusting the wrong keypair, allowing unauthorized access or actions.

MitigationUpgrade biscuit-java to version 4.0.0 or later, which contains the fix for this key validation vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Biscuit JavaApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.0, < 4.0.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check biscuit-java library version
    Inspect the project's dependency management file (pom.xml, build.gradle, or similar) or list the compiled JAR files to find the exact version of biscuit-java library in use
    Affected if The installed version is 3.0.0 or higher but lower than 4.0.0
  2. Identify ThirdPartyBlock usage in codebase
    Search source code for imports and usage of classes related to ThirdPartyBlock, such as 'ThirdPartyBlock', 'ThirdPartyRequest', or 'createThirdPartyBlock' method calls
    Affected if The application code contains ThirdPartyBlock request handling logic, meaning the vulnerable code path is reachable
  3. Verify block request handling endpoint
    If ThirdPartyBlock is used, examine the code that processes the request to see if it validates the public key against the actual token's public key before generating authorization blocks
    Affected if The request handler accepts external input for previous block public key without cryptographically binding it to the actual token being processed

You are affected if biscuit-java version is 3.0.0 or higher but lower than 4.0.0 AND your application processes ThirdPartyBlock requests with external untrusted input.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.0.0 or later
Fixed in 4.0.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade biscuit-java to version 4.0.0 or later, which contains the fix for this key validation vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

4.0.0

  1. Upgrade biscuit-java dependency from version 3.x to version 4.0.0 in your build configuration (Maven pom.xml or Gradle build.gradle)
  2. Run your project's test suite to verify the upgrade does not introduce regressions
  3. If using a build tool, run dependency:tree or dependencies command to confirm the new version is resolved
Caveat Version 4.0.0 may contain API changes from 3.x; review the release notes for any breaking changes before upgrading in production

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Biscuit Java Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,540
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,464.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-41948 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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