Nautobot vulnerable to exposure of hashed user passwords via REST API
Impact
In Nautobot 2.0.x, certain REST API endpoints, in combination with the ?depth=<N> query parameter, can expose hashed user passwords as stored in the database to any authenticated user with access to these endpoints.
The passwords are not exposed in plaintext. Nautobot 1.x is not affected by this vulnerability.
Example:
GET /api/users/permissions/?depth=1
HTTP 200 OK
API-Version: 2.0
Allow: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept{
"count": 1,
"next": null,
"previous": null,
"results": [
{
"id": "28ea85e4-5039-4389-94f1-9a3e1c787149",
"object_type": "users.objectpermission",
"display": "Run Job",
"url": "http://localhost:8080/api/users/permissions/28ea85e4-5039-4389-94f1-9a3e1c787149/",
"natural_slug": "run-job_28ea",
"object_types": [
"extras.job"
],
"name": "Run Job",
"description": "",
"enabled": true,
"actions": [
"run",
"view"
],
"constraints": null,
"groups": [
{
"id": 1,
"object_type": "auth.group",
"display": "A Group",
"url": "http://localhost:8080/api/users/groups/1/",
"natural_slug": "a-group_1",
"name": "A Group"
}
],
"users": [
{
"id": "e73288e2-1326-4bfb-8fea-041290dd7473",
"object_type": "users.user",
"display": "admin",
"url": "http://localhost:8080/api/users/users/e73288e2-1326-4bfb-8fea-041290dd7473/",
"natural_slug": "admin_e732",
"password": "pbkdf2_sha256$260000$jQb7hA48HYJ0MLWQgOZiBl$b72+gz6SpZiRpxceRQfT5Zv/aUac0eJ4NdBTZ8ECOow=",
"last_login": "2023-10-18T14:19:08.780857Z",
"is_superuser": true,
"username": "admin",
"first_name": "",
"last_name": "",
"email": "",
"is_staff": true,
"is_active": true,
"date_joined": "2023-10-18T14:18:55.854023Z",
"config_data": {}
}
]
}
]
}Note the "password" field present in the nested
"users"data.
This information is not exposed during direct access to the /api/users/users/ endpoint, but can be exposed through any endpoint which contains a nested reference to User object(s) when an appropriate ?depth=<N> query parameter is specified. Known impacted endpoints include:
/api/dcim/rack-reservations/?depth=1(or any greaterdepthvalue)/api/extras/job-results/?depth=1(or any greaterdepthvalue)/api/extras/notes/?depth=1(or any greaterdepthvalue)/api/extras/object-changes/?depth=1(or any greaterdepthvalue)/api/extras/scheduled-jobs/?depth=1(or any greaterdepthvalue)/api/users/permissions/?depth=1(or any greaterdepthvalue)
but this is not necessarily an exhaustive list.
Plugin REST API endpoints for any models with a foreign key to the User model may also be impacted by this issue.
The patch identified below mitigates the issue for both Nautobot core REST APIs and plugin REST APIs; no code change in plugins is required to address this issue.
Patches
Refer to https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/pull/4692 for the patch that resolved this issue.
Workarounds
Upgrading to v2.0.3 or later, or applying the above patch, is the preferred workaround for this issue; while it could also be partially mitigated by updating permissions to deny user access to the above list of impacted REST API endpoints, that is not recommended as other endpoints may also expose this issue until patched.
References
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | nautobot | >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.3 | 2.0.3 |
References
- https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/security/advisories/GHSA-r2hw-74xv-4gqp
- https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/pull/4692
- https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot/commit/1ce8e5c658a075c29554d517cd453675e5d40d71
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46128
- https://github.com/nautobot/nautobot
- https://github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/nautobot/PYSEC-2023-220.yaml
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-200, CWE-312, CWE-359- Platform
- Python (PyPI)
- Package
nautobot- Disclosed
- 24.10.2023
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 15:17
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - PYSEC-2023-220 - PyPA Advisory Database; CC BY 4.0
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-r2hw-74xv-4gqp - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: nautobot
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Python (PyPI)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 19
- First → latest
- 02.2023 09.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 9
- Medium 6
- Low 4
Disclosures per year
- 2023: 5
- 2024: 5
- 2025: 2
- 2026: 7
-
Nautobot vulnerable to exposure of hashed user passwords via REST API this entry
Know which vulnerabilities affect your application
With the DockRay integration and software inventory enabled, DockRay checks reported component versions against known vulnerabilities and notifies you about confirmed matches. Coverage depends on the supported technology and available advisory data.