CVE-2026-44351 PUBLISHED

fast-jwt: Empty HMAC secret accepted via async key resolver - JWT auth bypass

Assigner: GitHub_M
Reserved: 05.05.2026 Published: 13.05.2026 Updated: 13.05.2026

fast-jwt provides fast JSON Web Token (JWT) implementation. Prior to 6.2.4, a critical authentication-bypass vulnerability in fast-jwt's async key-resolver flow allows any unauthenticated attacker to forge arbitrary JWTs that are accepted as authentic. When the application's key resolver returns an empty string (''), for example via the common keys[decoded.header.kid] || '' JWKS-style fallback, fast-jwt converts it to a zero-length Buffer, hands it to crypto.createSecretKey, derives allowedAlgorithms = ['HS256','HS384','HS512'] from it, and then verifies the token's signature against an empty-key HMAC. The attacker simply computes HMAC-SHA256(key='', input='${header}.${payload}'), which Node accepts without complaint — and the verifier returns the attacker-chosen payload (sub, admin, scopes, etc.) as authentic. This vulnerability is fixed in 6.2.4.

Metrics

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CVSS Score: 9.1

Product Status

Vendor nearform
Product fast-jwt
Versions
  • Version < 6.2.4 is affected

References

Problem Types

  • CWE-287: Improper Authentication CWE
  • CWE-326: Inadequate Encryption Strength CWE
  • CWE-1391: Use of Weak Credentials CWE