CVE-2025-57808
highpriority · track · 1EPSS 0.015 · 75 %ileEUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
ESPHome is a system to control microcontrollers remotely through Home Automation systems. In version 2025.8.0 in the ESP-IDF platform, ESPHome's web_server authentication check can pass incorrectly when the client-supplied base64-encoded Authorization value is empty or is a substring of the correct value. This allows access to web_server functionality (including OTA, if enabled) without knowing any information about the correct username or password. This issue has been patched in version 2025.8.1.
cvss
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base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode
ssvc
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weaknesses
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affected products (3)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
advisories (2)
Vendor and ecosystem advisories describing this.
- GHSA-mxh2-ccgj-8635ESP-IDF web_server basic auth bypass using empty or incomplete Authorization header2025-09-02ghsa · osvUS
### Summary On the ESP-IDF platform, ESPHome's [`web_server` authentication](https://esphome.io/components/web_server.html#configuration-variables) check can pass incorrectly when the client-supplied base64-encoded `Authorization` value is empty or is a substring of the correct value (e.g., correct username with partial password). This allows access to `web_server` functionality (including OTA, if enabled) without knowing any information about the correct username or password. ### Details The HTTP basic auth check in `web_server_idf`'s [`AsyncWebServerRequest::authenticate`](https://github.com/esphome/esphome/blob/ef2121a215890d46dc1d25ad363611ecadc9e25e/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp#L256) only compares up to `auth.value().size() - auth_prefix_len` bytes of the base64-encoded `user:pass` string. This means a client-provided valuer like `dXNlcjpz` (`user:s`) will pass the check when the correct value is much longer, e.g., `dXNlcjpzb21lcmVhbGx5bG9uZ3Bhc3M=` (`user:somereallylongpass`). Furthermore, the check will also pass when the supplied value is the empty string, which removes the need to know (or brute force) the username. A browser won't generally issue such a request, but it can easily be done by manually constructing the `Authorizaztion` request header (e.g., via `curl`). ### PoC Configure ESPHome as follows: ```yaml esp32: board: ... framework: type: esp-idf web_server: auth: username: user password: somereallylongpass ``` In a browser, you can correctly log in by supplying username `user` and password `somereallylongpass`... but you can _also_ incorrectly log in by supplying _substrings_ of the password whose base64-encoded digest matches a _prefix_ of the correct digest. (For example, I was able to log into an ESPHome device so configured by supplying password `some`... or even just `s`.) You can also use a tool like `curl` to manually set an `Authorization` request header that _always_ passes the check without any knowledge of the username: ``` $ curl -D- http://example.local/ HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized ... $ curl -D- -H 'Authorization: Basic ' http://example.local/ HTTP/1.1 200 OK ... ``` ### Impact This vulnerability effectively nullifies basic auth support for the ESP-IDF `web_server`, allowing auth bypass from another device on the local network with no knowledge of the correct username or password required. ### Remediation This vulnerability is fixed in 2025.8.1 and later. For older versions, disabling the `web_server` component on ESP-IDF devices may be prudent, particularly if OTA updates through `web_server` are enabled.
- PYSEC-2026-1330ESP-IDF web_server basic auth bypass using empty or incomplete Authorization header2026-07-07vendor · osvUS
### Summary On the ESP-IDF platform, ESPHome's [`web_server` authentication](https://esphome.io/components/web_server.html#configuration-variables) check can pass incorrectly when the client-supplied base64-encoded `Authorization` value is empty or is a substring of the correct value (e.g., correct username with partial password). This allows access to `web_server` functionality (including OTA, if enabled) without knowing any information about the correct username or password. ### Details The HTTP basic auth check in `web_server_idf`'s [`AsyncWebServerRequest::authenticate`](https://github.com/esphome/esphome/blob/ef2121a215890d46dc1d25ad363611ecadc9e25e/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp#L256) only compares up to `auth.value().size() - auth_prefix_len` bytes of the base64-encoded `user:pass` string. This means a client-provided valuer like `dXNlcjpz` (`user:s`) will pass the check when the correct value is much longer, e.g., `dXNlcjpzb21lcmVhbGx5bG9uZ3Bhc3M=` (`user:somereallylongpass`). Furthermore, the check will also pass when the supplied value is the empty string, which removes the need to know (or brute force) the username. A browser won't generally issue such a request, but it can easily be done by manually constructing the `Authorizaztion` request header (e.g., via `curl`). ### PoC Configure ESPHome as follows: ```yaml esp32: board: ... framework: type: esp-idf web_server: auth: username: user password: somereallylongpass ``` In a browser, you can correctly log in by supplying username `user` and password `somereallylongpass`... but you can _also_ incorrectly log in by supplying _substrings_ of the password whose base64-encoded digest matches a _prefix_ of the correct digest. (For example, I was able to log into an ESPHome device so configured by supplying password `some`... or even just `s`.) You can also use a tool like `curl` to manually set an `Authorization` request header that _always_ passes the check without any knowledge of the username: ``` $ curl -D- http://example.local/ HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized ... $ curl -D- -H 'Authorization: Basic ' http://example.local/ HTTP/1.1 200 OK ... ``` ### Impact This vulnerability effectively nullifies basic auth support for the ESP-IDF `web_server`, allowing auth bypass from another device on the local network with no knowledge of the correct username or password required. ### Remediation This vulnerability is fixed in 2025.8.1 and later. For older versions, disabling the `web_server` component on ESP-IDF devices may be prudent, particularly if OTA updates through `web_server` are enabled.
also known as (6)
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sources
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references (9)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2025-57808cnnvd
- https://esphome.io/Patchcnnvd
- https://github.com/esphome/esphome/commit/2aceb56606ec8afec5f49c92e140c8050a6ccbe5cnnvd
- https://github.com/esphome/esphome/security/advisories/GHSA-mxh2-ccgj-8635cnnvd
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-57808cnnvd
- https://github.com/esphome/esphome/commit/2aceb56606ec8afec5f49c92e140c8050a6ccbe5enisa_euvd
- https://github.com/esphome/esphome/security/advisories/GHSA-mxh2-ccgj-8635enisa_euvd
- https://github.com/esphome/esphome/commit/2aceb56606ec8afec5f49c92e140c8050a6ccbe5Patchnvd
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