lightrag-hku: Plaintext Passwords Compared Without Constant-Time Function

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

5.9 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2026-85725: 0.45% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 38.85 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary When plaintext passwords are stored in AUTHACCOUNTS, the comparison uses Python's == operator which is not constant-time. An attacker with low-latency access can exploit timing differences to recover the password character by character. Details PoC Impact Observable timing discrepancy. Attackers with low-latency access can recover plaintext passwords character by character without triggering brute-force limits. Only affects deployments using unhashed passwords in AUTHACCOUNTS.

Published by the source

22 Sep 2026, 20:40 UTC

Last modified by the source

1 Oct 2026, 17:55 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 13:54 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-c759-cx9p-mrwq

2. Revision 2 · amended · 24 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record GHSA-c759-cx9p-mrwq

3. Revision 1 · created · 23 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-c759-cx9p-mrwq

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-85725

Advisory: lightrag-hku: Plaintext Passwords Compared Without Constant-Time Function
IDs: CVE-2026-85725, GHSA-c759-cx9p-mrwq
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-85725 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 13:54 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.9)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: lightrag-hku 1.5.5. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- PyPI lightrag-hku: affected <= 1.5.4; fixed in 1.5.5

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- `python -m pip show lightrag-hku`: prints the installed version. Run with the environment that serves production active.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on lightrag-hku.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c759-cx9p-mrwq (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-c759-cx9p-mrwq lists affected ranges: PyPI lightrag-hku >=0 <=1.5.4)
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-c759-cx9p-mrwq (OSV record GHSA-c759-cx9p-mrwq lists affected ranges: PyPI lightrag-hku >=0 <1.5.5 (fixed))

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