CVE-2020-26250
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.
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
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 Medium
CVSS: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 Medium
CVSS: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 = ...withc.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:
- Open a thread on the Jupyter forum
- Email us at [email protected]
- Record
GHSA-384w-5v3f-q499- CVSS 4.0
- 8.3 High
CVSS: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 Medium
CVSS: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 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 3.5 Low
AV: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 Medium
CVSS: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 = ...withc.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:
- Open a thread on the Jupyter forum
- Email us at [email protected]
- Record
GHSA-384w-5v3f-q499- CVSS 4.0
- 8.3 High
CVSS: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 Medium
CVSS: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
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
oauthenticatorPyPI |
0.12.0 up to 0.12.2 | 0.12.2 |
oauthenticatorPyPI |
0.12.0 up to 0.12.2, plus listed versions 0.12.1 |
0.12.2 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE 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
github.com/jupyterhub/oauthenticator/security/advisories/GHSA-384w-5v3f-q499
github.com/jupyterhub/oauthenticator/commit/a4aac191c16cf6281f3d346615aefa75702b02d7
github.com/jupyterhub/oauthenticator/blob/master/docs/source/changelog.md
jupyterhub.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.2/getting-started/authenticators-users-basics.html
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-26250
github.com/pypa/advisory-database/tree/main/vulns/oauthenticator/PYSEC-2020-68.yaml
github.com/advisories/GHSA-384w-5v3f-q499
github.com/jupyterhub/oauthenticator