dbcve.org
Incorrect AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-863

CVE-2025-14987

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-12-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
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
When system.enableCrossNamespaceCommands is enabled (on by default), the Temporal server permits certain workflow task commands (e.g. StartChildWorkflowExecution, SignalExternalWorkflowExecution, RequestCancelExternalWorkflowExecution) to target a different namespace than the namespace authorized at the gRPC boundary. The frontend authorizes RespondWorkflowTaskCompleted based on the outer request namespace, but the history service later resolves and executes the command using the namespace embedded in command attributes without authorizing the caller for that target namespace. This can allow a worker authorized for one namespace to create, signal, or cancel workflows in another namespace. This issue affects Temporal: through 1.29.1. Fixed in 1.27.4, 1.28.2, 1.29.2.

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

This is an authorization bypass vulnerability in Temporal server where the frontend validates only the outer request namespace, but the history service executes workflow commands (StartChildWorkflowExecution, SignalExternalWorkflowExecution, RequestCancelExternalWorkflowExecution) using namespaces embedded in command attributes without validating caller authorization for that target namespace. When system.enableCrossNamespaceCommands is enabled (default), this allows a worker authorized for one namespace to perform operations on workflows in another namespace.

MitigationUpgrade to Temporal server version 1.27.4, 1.28.2, or 1.29.2, or disable the system.enableCrossNamespaceCommands feature flag if cross-namespace operations are not required.

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

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
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:L/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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. Verify if cross-namespace commands are enabled
    Inspect the Temporal server configuration for the system.enableCrossNamespaceCommands flag. This is typically set in the static config YAML or dynamic config. Check both server and cluster configuration files.
    Affected if The flag is set to true (which is the default value). If disabled, the vulnerability does not apply.
  2. Determine the installed Temporal server version
    Query the Temporal server API (e.g., /operators/version endpoint) or check the container image tag / binary version. Common commands: tctl admin cluster get-Cluster-info or check the docker/k8s deployment metadata.
    Affected if The installed version is 1.27.0 through 1.27.3, 1.28.0 through 1.28.1, or 1.29.0 through 1.29.1.
  3. Identify active cross-namespace workflows
    Review workflow execution history and task queue usage for StartChildWorkflowExecution, SignalExternalWorkflowExecution, or RequestCancelExternalWorkflowExecution commands that reference a different namespace than the caller. Query the history service or use tctl workflow commands with namespace filters.
    Affected if There are workflow executions using these commands to target a different namespace than the outer request namespace.
  4. Check for multi-namespace deployments
    Audit the Temporal cluster configuration to identify all registered namespaces. Review namespace registration settings and cross-namespace relationship configurations.
    Affected if More than one namespace is registered in the cluster, creating potential attack surface.
  5. Verify authorization configuration
    Review the Temporal server's authorization settings (authorizer plugin) and namespace-level permissions to confirm which namespaces a given identity/worker is authorized to access.
    Affected if Workers are authorized to access at least one namespace but not all namespaces in the cluster, and cross-namespace commands are enabled.

A user is affected if their Temporal server version is 1.27.0-1.27.3, 1.28.0-1.28.1, or 1.29.0-1.29.1 AND the system.enableCrossNamespaceCommands flag remains enabled (default) AND the deployment has multiple namespaces.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Temporal server version 1.27.4, 1.28.2, or 1.29.2, or disable the system.enableCrossNamespaceCommands feature flag if cross-namespace operations are not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.29.2

  1. Identify current Temporal server version by checking the running deployment or version configuration
  2. Upgrade Temporal server to version 1.29.2 (latest fixed release) or at minimum to 1.27.4 or 1.28.2
  3. After upgrade, verify the system.enableCrossNamespaceCommands configuration and test cross-namespace operations to confirm the authorization check is now properly enforced
  4. Review namespace IAM policies to ensure workers have explicit permissions for intended target namespaces

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-14987 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2025-14987 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data