Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
HashiCorp Vault could mix up identity alias metadata when one entity has multiple mount accessors using the same alias name. In affected deployments, that metadata confusion could grant access to key/value secrets paths that were not intended. The source bundle identifies Vault and Vault Enterprise before 1.11.3 as affected.
Executive priority
Treat this as high-priority for any organization using Vault for secrets segregation. Prioritize upgrade and configuration review where Vault policies depend on identity alias metadata.
Technical view
The Identity Engine may overwrite metadata onto the wrong alias because it does not properly verify the alias assigned to an entity. The risky condition is multiple mount accessors with shared alias names on the same entity. Policies or workflows using that metadata for K/V path access may be bypassed.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Vault or Vault Enterprise deployments before 1.11.3 with identity entities that have shared alias names across multiple mount accessors and metadata-driven K/V authorization.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The CVSS 9.1 rating reflects serious remote impact potential, but real risk depends on the specific identity alias and metadata configuration.
Researcher notes
The key prerequisite is a specific Identity Engine alias collision pattern. Evidence provided does not include exploit code, active exploitation, or broad product impact beyond Vault, Vault Enterprise, and referenced vendor advisories.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Vault and Vault Enterprise to 1.11.3 or later.
- Review HashiCorp guidance for any deployment-specific remediation notes.
- Avoid relying on ambiguous alias metadata for K/V path authorization.
- Check downstream vendor advisories if Vault is embedded or packaged by another product.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Vault and Vault Enterprise versions across all environments.
- Identify entities with multiple mount accessors sharing the same alias name.
- Review policies or templates that use alias metadata for K/V paths.
- Check audit records for unexpected K/V access tied to affected aliases.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-639: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-40186 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N3.95.2Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.1CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/CVE reference
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2022-18-vault-entity-alias-metadata-may-leak-between-aliases-with-the-same-name-assigned-to-the-same-entity/44550CVE reference
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20221111-0008/CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.