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CVE-2025-64173

HIGH

Apollo Router Affected by an Access Control Bypass on Polymorphic Types

Published November 6, 2025Updated November 6, 2025Source: osv

Summary

# Summary A vulnerability in Apollo Router allowed for unauthenticated queries to access data that required additional access controls. Router incorrectly handled access control directives on interface types/fields and their implementing object types/fields, applying them to interface types/fields while ignoring directives on their implementing object types/fields when all implementations had the same requirements. ## Details Apollo Federation allows users to specify access control directives ([`@authenticated`, `@requiresScopes`, and `@policy`](https://www.apollographql.com/docs/graphos/routing/security/authorization#authorization-directives)) to protect object and interface types and fields. However, the GraphQL specification does not define inheritance rules for directives from interfaces to their implementations. Apollo Router will enforce any directives on the interface types/fields but ignore any directives on the implementation object types/fields (as long as all implementations have the same requirements). This inconsistent enforcement behavior leads to unexpected runtime security gaps. ## Who is impacted This vulnerability impacts Apollo Router customers defining `@authenticated`, `@requiresScopes`, or `@policy` directives inconsistently on polymorphic types (i.e., object types that implement interface types). Specifically, if the same access control directives are applied to all implementing types/fields but not on their implemented interface types/fields, they could be impacted. ### Scope of Impact This vulnerability could allow a malicious actor to craft a query that can bypass access control requirements on the object types/fields by instead querying them via implemented interface types/fields that don't have the same access control requirements. ## Patches This vulnerability has been fixed at runtime in Apollo Router. You may update Router to one of the following versions: - 1.61.12+ - 2.8.1+ ## Workarounds - If you are not immediately updating Router to a patched version, you should apply any included access control requirements to *both* the appropriate interface types/fields and their implementations. - Customers not using Apollo Router access control features (`@authenticated`, `@requiresScopes`, or `@policy` directives) or not specifying inconsistent access control requirements on polymorphic types/fields are not affected and do not need to take action.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Cargo
Update apollo-router to 2.8.1 or later
cargo update -p apollo-router --precise 2.8.1
Cargo
Update apollo-router to 1.61.12 or later
cargo update -p apollo-router --precise 1.61.12

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (2)

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
apollo-router
crates.io
All versions2.8.1
apollo-router
crates.io
All versions1.61.12

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 7.5 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-64173?
Apollo Router Affected by an Access Control Bypass on Polymorphic Types This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of HIGH (CVSS score: 7.5/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2025-64173?
CVE-2025-64173 affects apollo-router. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2025-64173 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
7.5

High exploitability or significant impact. Prioritize remediation within days.

Also Known As

GHSA-x33c-7c2v-mrj9

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