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Description

Incorrect Authorization vulnerability in the OAuth token endpoint in hexpm hexpm allows an API key holding the repositories permission to read another organization's private packages.

When an API key is exchanged for a token through the OAuth client_credentials grant, validate_scopes_against_key/2 in lib/hexpm_web/controllers/api/oauth_controller.ex admits a requested scope whenever the key carries the repositories permission and the scope string begins with repository:. The organization name is never resolved against the principal, and expand_repositories_scope/3 only rewrites the literal repositories scope, so an explicit repository:<name> passes through untouched. Both CDN edges authorize repository access from the token claim without querying the database, so the minted token is read access to that organization's private packages until it expires.

This issue affects hex.pm: from 2025-10-18 before 2026-08-24.

Weaknesses & attack patterns

Weakness

CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization in catalog → MITRE ↗

Attack patterns

CAPEC-122 · Privilege Abuse MITRE ↗

Affected — hexpm / hexpm

2025-10-18 < 2026-08-24 affected
every other version: unaffected
default status unaffected
cpe cpe:2.3:a:hexpm:hexpm:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
modules · source files · routines
modules 'Elixir.HexpmWeb.API.OAuthController' · 'Elixir.Hexpm.OAuth.Tokens'
source files lib/hexpm_web/controllers/api/oauth_controller.ex · lib/hexpm/oauth/tokens.ex
routines 'Elixir.HexpmWeb.API.OAuthController':validate_scopes_against_key/2 · 'Elixir.Hexpm.OAuth.Tokens':create_for_org/6

Affected — GitHub / hexpm/hexpm Repository ↗

71829cb < bf0fb9d affected
every other version: unaffected
default status unaffected
cpe cpe:2.3:a:hexpm:hexpm:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
modules · source files · routines
modules 'Elixir.HexpmWeb.API.OAuthController' · 'Elixir.Hexpm.OAuth.Tokens'
source files lib/hexpm_web/controllers/api/oauth_controller.ex · lib/hexpm/oauth/tokens.ex
routines 'Elixir.HexpmWeb.API.OAuthController':validate_scopes_against_key/2 · 'Elixir.Hexpm.OAuth.Tokens':create_for_org/6

References

Credits

Eric Meadows-Jönsson Finder Remediation developer
Jonatan Männchen / EEF Coordinator

CVSS breakdown

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N
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