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CVE-2020-26250

Base class whitelist configuration ignored in OAuthenticator

6.3 MediumFix available

OAuthenticator is an OAuth login mechanism for JupyterHub. In oauthenticator from version 0.12.0 and before 0.12.2, the deprecated (in jupyterhub 1.2) configuration Authenticator.whitelist, which should be transparently mapped to Authenticator.allowed_users with a warning, is instead ignored by OAuthenticator classes, resulting in the same behavior as if this configuration has not been set. If this is the only mechanism of authorization restriction (i.e. no group or team restrictions in configuration) then all authenticated users will be allowed. Provider-based restrictions, including deprecated values such as GitHubOAuthenticator.org_whitelist are not affected. All users of OAuthenticator 0.12.0 and 0.12.1 with JupyterHub 1.2 (JupyterHub Helm chart 0.10.0-0.10.5) who use the admin.whitelist.users configuration in the jupyterhub helm chart or the c.Authenticator.whitelist configuration directly. Users of other deprecated configuration, e.g. c.GitHubOAuthenticator.team_whitelist are not affected. If you see a log line like this and expect a specific list of allowed usernames: "[I 2020-11-27 16:51:54.528 JupyterHub app:1717] Not using allowed_users. Any authenticated user will be allowed." you are likely affected. Updating oauthenticator to 0.12.2 is recommended. A workaround is to replace the deprecated c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = .... If any users have been authorized during this time who should not have been, they must be deleted via the API or admin interface, per the referenced documentation.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges needed
Low
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

1.13%Up 0.1 points since Apr 14, 2021
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 6.3

Base class whitelist configuration ignored in OAuthenticator

OAuthenticator is an OAuth login mechanism for JupyterHub. In oauthenticator from version 0.12.0 and before 0.12.2, the deprecated (in jupyterhub 1.2) configuration Authenticator.whitelist, which should be transparently mapped to Authenticator.allowed_users with a warning, is instead ignored by OAuthenticator classes, resulting in the same behavior as if this configuration has not been set. If this is the only mechanism of authorization restriction (i.e. no group or team restrictions in configuration) then all authenticated users will be allowed. Provider-based restrictions, including deprecated values such as GitHubOAuthenticator.org_whitelist are not affected. All users of OAuthenticator 0.12.0 and 0.12.1 with JupyterHub 1.2 (JupyterHub Helm chart 0.10.0-0.10.5) who use the admin.whitelist.users configuration in the jupyterhub helm chart or the c.Authenticator.whitelist configuration directly. Users of other deprecated configuration, e.g. c.GitHubOAuthenticator.team_whitelist are not affected. If you see a log line like this and expect a specific list of allowed usernames: "[I 2020-11-27 16:51:54.528 JupyterHub app:1717] Not using allowed_users. Any authenticated user will be allowed." you are likely affected. Updating oauthenticator to 0.12.2 is recommended. A workaround is to replace the deprecated c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = .... If any users have been authorized during this time who should not have been, they must be deleted via the API or admin interface, per the referenced documentation.

Record
CVE-2020-26250
CVSS 3.1
6.3 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Weakness
CWE-863
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-0118 6.3

OAuthenticator is an OAuth login mechanism for JupyterHub. In oauthenticator from version 0.12.0 and before 0.12.2, the deprecated (in jupyterhub 1.2) configuration Authenticator.whitelist, which should be transparently mapped to Authenticator.allowed_users with a warning, is instead ignored by OAuthenticator classes, resulting in the same behavior as if this configuration has not been set. If this is the only mechanism of authorization restriction (i.e. no group or team restrictions in configuration) then all authenticated users will be allowed. Provider-based restrictions, including deprecated values such as GitHubOAuthenticator.org_whitelist are not affected. All users of OAuthenticator 0.12.0 and 0.12.1 with JupyterHub 1.2 (JupyterHub Helm chart 0.10.0-0.10.5) who use the admin.whitelist.users configuration in the jupyterhub helm chart or the c.Authenticator.whitelist configuration directly. Users of other deprecated configuration, e.g. c.GitHubOAuthenticator.team_whitelist are not affected. If you see a log line like this and expect a specific list of allowed usernames: "[I 2020-11-27 16:51:54.528 JupyterHub app:1717] Not using allowed_users. Any authenticated user will be allowed." you are likely affected. Updating oauthenticator to 0.12.2 is recommended. A workaround is to replace the deprecated c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = .... If any users have been authorized during this time who should not have been, they must be deleted via the API or admin interface, per the referenced documentation.

Record
EUVD-2020-0118
CVSS 3.1
6.3 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-384w-5v3f-q499 8.3

Base class whitelist configuration ignored in OAuthenticator

Impact

What goes wrong?

The deprecated (in jupyterhub 1.2) configuration Authenticator.whitelist, which should be transparently mapped to Authenticator.allowed_users with a warning, is instead ignored by OAuthenticator classes, resulting in the same behavior as if this configuration has not been set. If this is the only mechanism of authorization restriction (i.e. no group or team restrictions in configuration) then all authenticated users will be allowed. Provider-based restrictions, including deprecated values such as GitHubOAuthenticator.org_whitelist are not affected.

Who is impacted?

All users of OAuthenticator 0.12.0 and 0.12.1 with JupyterHub 1.2 (JupyterHub Helm chart 0.10.0-0.10.5) who use the admin.whitelist.users configuration in the jupyterhub helm chart or the c.Authenticator.whitelist configuration directly. Users of other deprecated configuration, e.g. c.GitHubOAuthenticator.team_whitelist are not affected.

If you see a log line like this and expect a specific list of allowed usernames:

[I 2020-11-27 16:51:54.528 JupyterHub app:1717] Not using allowed_users. Any authenticated user will be allowed.

you are likely affected.

Patches

  • Replacing deprecated c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = ... avoids the issue.
  • Update oauthenticator to 0.12.2
  • Update jupyterhub helm chart to 0.10.6

If any users have been authorized during this time who should not have been, they must be deleted via the API or admin interface, per the documentation.

Workarounds

Replacing c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = ... avoids the issue.

In the jupyterhub helm chart prior to 0.10.6, this can be done via hub.extraConfig:

auth:
  allowedUsers:
  - user1
  - user2

hub:
  extraConfig:
    allowedUsers: |
        # set new field not exposed in helm chart < 0.10.6
        set_config_if_not_none(c.Authenticator, "allowed_users", "auth.allowedUsers")

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Record
GHSA-384w-5v3f-q499
CVSS 4.0
8.3 HighCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N
CVSS 3.1
6.3 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Weakness
CWE-863
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 6.3

OAuthenticator is an OAuth login mechanism for JupyterHub. In oauthenticator from version 0.12.0 and before 0.12.2, the deprecated (in jupyterhub 1.2) configuration Authenticator.whitelist, which should be transparently mapped to Authenticator.allowed_users with a warning, is instead ignored by OAuthenticator classes, resulting in the same behavior as if this configuration has not been set. If this is the only mechanism of authorization restriction (i.e. no group or team restrictions in configuration) then all authenticated users will be allowed. Provider-based restrictions, including deprecated values such as GitHubOAuthenticator.org_whitelist are not affected. All users of OAuthenticator 0.12.0 and 0.12.1 with JupyterHub 1.2 (JupyterHub Helm chart 0.10.0-0.10.5) who use the admin.whitelist.users configuration in the jupyterhub helm chart or the c.Authenticator.whitelist configuration directly. Users of other deprecated configuration, e.g. c.GitHubOAuthenticator.team_whitelist are not affected. If you see a log line like this and expect a specific list of allowed usernames: "[I 2020-11-27 16:51:54.528 JupyterHub app:1717] Not using allowed_users. Any authenticated user will be allowed." you are likely affected. Updating oauthenticator to 0.12.2 is recommended. A workaround is to replace the deprecated c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = .... If any users have been authorized during this time who should not have been, they must be deleted via the API or admin interface, per the referenced documentation.

Record
CVE-2020-26250
CVSS 3.1
6.3 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVSS 2.0
3.5 LowAV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N
Weakness
CWE-863
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 6.3

OAuthenticator is an OAuth login mechanism for JupyterHub. In oauthenticator from version 0.12.0 and before 0.12.2, the deprecated (in jupyterhub 1.2) configuration Authenticator.whitelist, which should be transparently mapped to Authenticator.allowed_users with a warning, is instead ignored by OAuthenticator classes, resulting in the same behavior as if this configuration has not been set. If this is the only mechanism of authorization restriction (i.e. no group or team restrictions in configuration) then all authenticated users will be allowed. Provider-based restrictions, including deprecated values such as GitHubOAuthenticator.org_whitelist are not affected. All users of OAuthenticator 0.12.0 and 0.12.1 with JupyterHub 1.2 (JupyterHub Helm chart 0.10.0-0.10.5) who use the admin.whitelist.users configuration in the jupyterhub helm chart or the c.Authenticator.whitelist configuration directly. Users of other deprecated configuration, e.g. c.GitHubOAuthenticator.team_whitelist are not affected. If you see a log line like this and expect a specific list of allowed usernames: "[I 2020-11-27 16:51:54.528 JupyterHub app:1717] Not using allowed_users. Any authenticated user will be allowed." you are likely affected. Updating oauthenticator to 0.12.2 is recommended. A workaround is to replace the deprecated c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = .... If any users have been authorized during this time who should not have been, they must be deleted via the API or admin interface, per the referenced documentation.

Record
CVE-2020-26250
CVSS 3.1
6.3 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-384w-5v3f-q499 8.3

Base class whitelist configuration ignored in OAuthenticator

Impact

What goes wrong?

The deprecated (in jupyterhub 1.2) configuration Authenticator.whitelist, which should be transparently mapped to Authenticator.allowed_users with a warning, is instead ignored by OAuthenticator classes, resulting in the same behavior as if this configuration has not been set. If this is the only mechanism of authorization restriction (i.e. no group or team restrictions in configuration) then all authenticated users will be allowed. Provider-based restrictions, including deprecated values such as GitHubOAuthenticator.org_whitelist are not affected.

Who is impacted?

All users of OAuthenticator 0.12.0 and 0.12.1 with JupyterHub 1.2 (JupyterHub Helm chart 0.10.0-0.10.5) who use the admin.whitelist.users configuration in the jupyterhub helm chart or the c.Authenticator.whitelist configuration directly. Users of other deprecated configuration, e.g. c.GitHubOAuthenticator.team_whitelist are not affected.

If you see a log line like this and expect a specific list of allowed usernames:

[I 2020-11-27 16:51:54.528 JupyterHub app:1717] Not using allowed_users. Any authenticated user will be allowed.

you are likely affected.

Patches

  • Replacing deprecated c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = ... avoids the issue.
  • Update oauthenticator to 0.12.2
  • Update jupyterhub helm chart to 0.10.6

If any users have been authorized during this time who should not have been, they must be deleted via the API or admin interface, per the documentation.

Workarounds

Replacing c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = ... avoids the issue.

In the jupyterhub helm chart prior to 0.10.6, this can be done via hub.extraConfig:

auth:
  allowedUsers:
  - user1
  - user2

hub:
  extraConfig:
    allowedUsers: |
        # set new field not exposed in helm chart < 0.10.6
        set_config_if_not_none(c.Authenticator, "allowed_users", "auth.allowedUsers")

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Record
GHSA-384w-5v3f-q499
CVSS 4.0
8.3 HighCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N
CVSS 3.1
6.3 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Weakness
CWE-863
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVPYSEC-2020-68 No score

OAuthenticator is an OAuth login mechanism for JupyterHub. In oauthenticator from version 0.12.0 and before 0.12.2, the deprecated (in jupyterhub 1.2) configuration Authenticator.whitelist, which should be transparently mapped to Authenticator.allowed_users with a warning, is instead ignored by OAuthenticator classes, resulting in the same behavior as if this configuration has not been set. If this is the only mechanism of authorization restriction (i.e. no group or team restrictions in configuration) then all authenticated users will be allowed. Provider-based restrictions, including deprecated values such as GitHubOAuthenticator.org_whitelist are not affected. All users of OAuthenticator 0.12.0 and 0.12.1 with JupyterHub 1.2 (JupyterHub Helm chart 0.10.0-0.10.5) who use the admin.whitelist.users configuration in the jupyterhub helm chart or the c.Authenticator.whitelist configuration directly. Users of other deprecated configuration, e.g. c.GitHubOAuthenticator.team_whitelist are not affected. If you see a log line like this and expect a specific list of allowed usernames: "[I 2020-11-27 16:51:54.528 JupyterHub app:1717] Not using allowed_users. Any authenticated user will be allowed." you are likely affected. Updating oauthenticator to 0.12.2 is recommended. A workaround is to replace the deprecated c.Authenticator.whitelist = ... with c.Authenticator.allowed_users = .... If any users have been authorized during this time who should not have been, they must be deleted via the API or admin interface, per the referenced documentation.

Record
PYSEC-2020-68
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
oauthenticator
PyPI
0.12.0 up to 0.12.2
0.12.2
oauthenticator
PyPI
0.12.0 up to 0.12.2, plus listed versions
0.12.1
0.12.2

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2020-26250 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.3) in Jupyter Oauthenticator, published December 1, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.13%, the 66th percentile. Fixed in oauthenticator 0.12.2.

References

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