Dgraph: Unauthenticated pprof endpoint leaks admin auth token

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Dgraph is an open source distributed GraphQL database. Versions 25.3.1 and prior contain an unauthenticated credential disclosure vulnerability where the /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint is registered on the default mux and reachable without authentication, exposing the full process command line including the admin token configured via the --security "token=..." startup flag. An attacker can retrieve the leaked token and reuse it in the X-Dgraph-AuthToken header to gain unauthorized access to admin-only endpoints such as /admin/config/cache_mb, bypassing the adminAuthHandler token validation. This enables unauthorized privileged administrative access including configuration changes and operational control actions in any deployment where the Alpha HTTP port is reachable by untrusted parties. This issue has been fixed in version 25.3.2.

Source published

15 Apr 2026 20:40:47 UTC

Source modified

16 Apr 2026 12:05:10 UTC

Saved here

23 Oct 2026 15:48:27 UTC

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CVSS 3.1 · 9.4 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

Dgraph is an open source distributed GraphQL database. Versions 25.3.1 and prior contain an unauthenticated credential disclosure vulnerability where the /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint is registered on the default mux and reachable without authentication, exposing the full process command line including the admin token configured via the --security "token=..." startup flag. An attacker can retrieve the leaked token and reuse it in the X-Dgraph-AuthToken header to gain unauthorized access to admin-only endpoints such as /admin/config/cache_mb, bypassing the adminAuthHandler token validation. This enables unauthorized privileged administrative access including configuration changes and operational control actions in any deployment where the Alpha HTTP port is reachable by untrusted parties. This issue has been fixed in version 25.3.2.

Source published

Apr 15, 2026, 8:40:47 PM (timezone not stated)

Source modified

Apr 16, 2026, 12:05:10 PM (timezone not stated)

Saved here

15 Nov 2026 11:07:19 UTC

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EUVD CVSS 3.1 · 9.4 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

Dgraph is an open source distributed GraphQL database. Versions 25.3.1 and prior contain an unauthenticated credential disclosure vulnerability where the /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint is registered on the default mux and reachable without authentication, exposing the full process command line including the admin token configured via the --security "token=..." startup flag. An attacker can retrieve the leaked token and reuse it in the X-Dgraph-AuthToken header to gain unauthorized access to admin-only endpoints such as /admin/config/cache_mb, bypassing the adminAuthHandler token validation. This enables unauthorized privileged administrative access including configuration changes and operational control actions in any deployment where the Alpha HTTP port is reachable by untrusted parties. This issue has been fixed in version 25.3.2.

Source published

15 Apr 2026 21:17:27 UTC

Source modified

17 Jun 2026 10:44:48 UTC

Saved here

25 Oct 2026 09:17:24 UTC

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CVSS 3.1 · [email protected] · Secondary · 9.4 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

### Summary An unauthenticated debug endpoint in Dgraph Alpha exposes the full process command line, including the configured admin token from `--security "token=..."`. This does not break token validation logic directly; instead, it discloses the credential and enables unauthorized admin-level access by reusing the leaked token in `X-Dgraph-AuthToken`. ### Details The behavior occurs entirely within core Alpha HTTP routing and does not require any external proxy, plugin, or non-core integration. The core issue is not that admin token protection is absent, but that the protected secret is exposed in cleartext through an unauthenticated core debug endpoint. Relevant code paths: - `dgraph/cmd/alpha/run.go:17` imports `net/http/pprof`, which registers `/debug/pprof/*` handlers on the default mux. - `dgraph/cmd/alpha/run.go:533` uses `http.Handle("/", audit.AuditRequestHttp(baseMux))`, so default-mux handlers remain reachable. - `dgraph/cmd/alpha/admin.go:52` enforces admin token checks in `adminAuthHandler` for admin endpoints. - `dgraph/cmd/alpha/admin.go:74` shows `/admin/config/cache_mb` behind `adminAuthHandler`. Credential-exposure chain: 1. `/debug/pprof/cmdline` is reachable without authentication. 2. Its output includes the configured admin token from process arguments. 3. The disclosed token is accepted by `adminAuthHandler` when sent as `X-Dgraph-AuthToken`. 4. An attacker gains unauthorized access to admin-only functionality. Observed local evidence (safe validation): - Request: `GET /admin/config/cache_mb` without token - Status: 200 (request rejected at application layer) - Body contains error: `Invalid X-Dgraph-AuthToken` - The endpoint returns HTTP 200 but indicates authentication failure in the response body. - Request: `GET /debug/pprof/cmdline` without token - Status: 200 - Body excerpt includes: `--security=token=TopSecretToken123;` - Request: `GET /admin/config/cache_mb` with `X-Dgraph-AuthToken: TopSecretToken123` - Status: 200 - Body: `4096` Important policy/triage clarification: - This issue persists even when the admin-token security feature is enabled: the token itself is exposed via an unauthenticated core debug endpoint, making this more than a misconfiguration-only concern. - Network restrictions (bind/whitelist/firewall) may reduce exposure, but they do not remediate the underlying credential disclosure behavior. ### PoC - Branch: `main` - Commit: `b15c87e93` - Describe: `v25.3.1` Preconditions: - Alpha HTTP port is reachable by attacker traffic. - Admin token is configured via supported startup flag: `--security "token=..."`. - `/debug/pprof/*` is exposed on the same Alpha HTTP listener. - This behavior occurs with documented startup flags and without any non-default or unsupported configuration. Reproduction steps: 1. Start Zero and Alpha (example local setup): - `dgraph zero --my=127.0.0.1:5280 --port_offset=200 --bindall=false --wal=./zw` - `dgraph alpha --my=127.0.0.1:7280 --zero=127.0.0.1:5280 --port_offset=200 --bindall=false --security "token=TopSecretToken123;" --postings=./p --wal=./w --tmp=./t` 2. Verify admin endpoint rejects unauthenticated request: - `curl -i http://127.0.0.1:8280/admin/config/cache_mb` - Expected body includes `Invalid X-Dgraph-AuthToken`. 3. Read token from unauthenticated debug endpoint: - `curl -s http://127.0.0.1:8280/debug/pprof/cmdline` - Expected output includes `--security=token=TopSecretToken123;`. 4. Reuse leaked token against admin endpoint: - `curl -i -H "X-Dgraph-AuthToken: TopSecretToken123" http://127.0.0.1:8280/admin/config/cache_mb` - Expected: successful response (example observed: `4096`). Note: The PoC uses `127.0.0.1` only for safe local validation. The vulnerable condition is unauthenticated reachability of `/debug/pprof/cmdline`; in any deployment where Alpha HTTP is reachable by untrusted parties, the same token disclosure and subsequent unauthorized admin access apply. ### Impact - Unauthenticated disclosure of a sensitive admin credential via debug endpoint, enabling unauthorized privileged administrative access through token reuse - Operators running Dgraph Alpha with admin token configured, where Alpha HTTP/debug routes are reachable by untrusted users or networks. The attack requires network reachability to the Alpha HTTP port. In deployments where this interface is exposed beyond trusted boundaries, the issue is remotely exploitable without authentication. Depending on exposed admin functionality in deployment policy, this may allow configuration changes, operational control actions, and other privileged administrative operations exposed through `/admin/*`.

Source published

16 Apr 2026 21:08:07 UTC

Source modified

10 Sep 2026 03:51:01 UTC

Saved here

24 Oct 2026 13:19:41 UTC

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GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0

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CVSS_V3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

Publisher rating · CRITICAL

The /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint in Dgraph Alpha discloses the command-line arguments used to start the process, which may include the administrator's authentication token if provided via the --auth_token flag. This allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to obtain the token and gain full administrative access to the Dgraph cluster.

Source published

11 Aug 2026 20:19:48 UTC

Source modified

11 Aug 2026 20:33:01 UTC

Saved here

24 Oct 2026 13:19:41 UTC

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OSV · upstream source license applies

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