federation: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
CVE-2025-64530 is a high-severity authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability in federation from Apollographql, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected federation versions: < 2.9.5; >= 2.10.0-preview.0, < 2.10.4; >= 2.11.0-preview.0, < 2.11.5, and others listed below. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.41% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of federation you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollographql | federation | < 2.9.5; >= 2.10.0-preview.0, < 2.10.4; >= 2.11.0-preview.0, < 2.11.5; >= 2.12.0-preview.0, 2.12.1 | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- NoneAvailability is not affected.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N. Scored by CNA (github.com).
Official description
Apollo Federation is an architecture for declaratively composing APIs into a unified graph. A vulnerability in versions of Apollo Federation's composition logic prior to 2.9.5, 2.10.4, 2.11.5, and 2.12.1 allowed some queries to Apollo Router to improperly bypass access controls on types/fields. Apollo Federation incorrectly allowed user-defined access control directives on interface types/fields, which could be bypassed by instead querying the implementing object types/fields in Apollo Router via inline fragments, for example. A fix to versions 2.9.5, 2.10.4, 2.11.5, and 2.12.1 of composition logic in Federation now disallows interfaces types and fields to contain user-defined access control directives. Some workarounds are available. Users of Apollo Rover with an unpatched composition version or are using the Apollo Studio build pipeline with Federation version 2.8 or below should manually copy the access control requirements on interface types/fields to each implementing object type/field where appropriate. Do not remove those access control requirements from the interface types/fields, as unpatched Apollo Composition will not automatically generate them in the supergraph schema. Customers not using Apollo Router access control features (`@authenticated`, `@requiresScopes`, or `@policy` directives) or not specifying access control requirements on interface types/fields are not affected and do not need to take action.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
The product requires authentication, but the product has an alternate path or channel that does not require authentication.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Funnel all access through a single choke point to simplify how users can access a resource. For every access, perform a check to determine if the user has permissions to access the resource.
More Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerabilities (CWE-288)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Other vulnerabilities in federation
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel vulnerabilities
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
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