Critical

sealed-env: TOTP secret embedded in unseal token payload (enterprise mode)

  • Disclosed: 12.05.2026
  • Updated: 11.10.2026 12:22

In sealed-env enterprise mode, versions 0.1.0-alpha.1 through 0.1.0-alpha.3 embedded the operator's literal TOTP secret in the JWS payload of every minted unseal token. JWS payload is base64-encoded JSON, NOT encrypted. Any party who could observe a minted token (CI build logs, container env dumps, kubectl describe pod, Sentry/Rollbar stack traces, log aggregators) could decode the payload and extract the TOTP secret in plaintext.

An attacker with (a) the master key (e.g. from a separate compromise such as a leaked CI secret) and (b) any single leaked unseal token can use the extracted TOTP secret to mint new valid unseal tokens for any future deploy indefinitely, breaking the second-factor property the library claimed.

Patched in 0.1.0-alpha.4 by replacing the embedded secret with a salt-bound HMAC derivative (enterprise_epoch = HMAC(totpSecret, salt || "epoch-v1")). The TOTP secret never leaves the operator's machine in the new design. The wire format change is incompatible — files sealed by affected versions must be re-sealed and the TOTP secret rotated. Full migration playbook in CHANGELOG.md.

Reported by an external reviewer who decoded the payload of a real minted token and confirmed bit-for-bit equality with the operator's .env.local TOTP secret.

Affected software

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PlatformPackageVulnerable versionsFixed in
Java / Kotlin (Maven) io.github.davidalmeidac:sealed-env-core < 0.1.0-alpha.4 0.1.0-alpha.4
npm package sealed-env < 0.1.0-alpha.4 0.1.0-alpha.4

References

CVSS score 9.1/10
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-200, CWE-522
Platform
Java / Kotlin (Maven), npm
Package
io.github.davidalmeidac:sealed-env-core, sealed-env
Disclosed
12.05.2026
Updated
11.10.2026 12:22

Sources and licenses

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-x3r2-fj3r-g5mv - CC BY 4.0

Vulnerability history: sealed-env

All published vulnerabilities of this package (npm package), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.

This is the only known vulnerability of this package.

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