CVE-2025-55278
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 · uneditedImproper authentication in the API authentication middleware of HCL DevOps Loop allows authentication tokens to be accepted without proper validation of their expiration and cryptographic signature. As a result, an attacker could potentially use expired or tampered tokens to gain unauthorized access to sensitive resources and perform actions with elevated privileges.
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 confidenceThe API authentication middleware in HCL DevOps Loop fails to properly validate token expiration timestamps and cryptographic signatures. This allows attackers to reuse expired tokens or submit tampered tokens to authenticate successfully and gain unauthorized access with elevated privileges.
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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm HCL DevOps Loop installationLocate the HCL DevOps Loop installation directory or check system inventory for the product. Look for Loop-specific binaries, services, or configuration folders.Affected if HCL DevOps Loop is not installed on the system.
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Verify API authentication middleware is in useExamine the HCL DevOps Loop configuration files for API endpoints that require authentication. Look for middleware registration or authentication module configuration.Affected if API authentication middleware is not configured or is bypassed.
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Inspect token expiration validation configurationReview the authentication middleware configuration files or environment settings for token expiration checking parameters. Determine whether expired tokens are being accepted.Affected if Token expiration validation is disabled, missing, or allows expired tokens to authenticate.
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Check cryptographic signature validation settingsReview authentication middleware configuration for signature verification settings. Verify that tokens with invalid or tampered signatures are properly rejected.Affected if Cryptographic signature validation is disabled or accepts tokens with invalid signatures.
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Test token validation behaviorIf possible, attempt to authenticate with an expired token or a tampered token and observe whether the request succeeds or is rejected by the API.Affected if Expired or tampered tokens are accepted and grant authentication access.
The environment is affected if HCL DevOps Loop is running with API authentication where token expiration timestamps or cryptographic signatures are not being properly validated.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataImplement proper token expiration checking and cryptographic signature validation in the authentication middleware. All tokens must be rejected if expired or if their signature cannot be verified using the correct cryptographic key.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,504.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-55278 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-55278 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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