GHSA-xq7h-vwjp-5vrh
@grackle-ai/powerline Runs Without Authentication by Default
GHSA-xq7h-vwjp-5vrh is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.3) in @grackle-ai/powerline, published March 25, 2026. No source lists public exploit code. Fixed in @grackle-ai/powerline 0.70.1.
- Severity
- 6.3 MediumCVSS 4.0, GitHub Advisories
- Exploit chance
- UnscoredNo EPSS score yet
- Exploitation
- None knownNot on CISA’s or ENISA’s lists
- Fixed in
0.70.1@grackle-ai/powerline +1 more
Description
Impact
When --token is not provided and GRACKLE_POWERLINE_TOKEN is not set, the PowerLine gRPC server runs with zero authentication. A warning is logged ("NO AUTH (development only)") but nothing prevents deployment in this state. Any client that can reach the PowerLine port can spawn agent sessions, access credential tokens, and execute code.
The default binding is 127.0.0.1 (loopback only), which limits exposure to the local machine. However, if PowerLine is accidentally exposed on a network (e.g., in a container or via port forwarding), the impact is critical.
Affected code:
packages/powerline/src/index.ts:46— token defaults to empty stringpackages/powerline/src/index.ts:63-76— auth interceptor is only added when token is truthy
Patches
0.70.1
Fix: Require an explicit --no-auth flag to run without authentication, rather than defaulting to no auth when the token is empty. Throw an error if starting without a token and without --no-auth.
Workarounds
Always provide --token or set GRACKLE_POWERLINE_TOKEN when starting PowerLine. The Grackle server does this automatically when managing PowerLine lifecycle.
Resources
- CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
- File:
packages/powerline/src/index.ts
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
@grackle-ai/powerlinenpm | through 0.70.0 | 0.70.1 |
@grackle-ai/powerlinenpm | before 0.70.1 | 0.70.1 |
What each source reports
GitHub Advisories Score used
@grackle-ai/powerline Runs Without Authentication by Default
Impact
When --token is not provided and GRACKLE_POWERLINE_TOKEN is not set, the PowerLine gRPC server runs with zero authentication. A warning is logged ("NO AUTH (development only)") but nothing prevents deployment in this state. Any client that can reach the PowerLine port can spawn agent sessions, access credential tokens, and execute code.
The default binding is 127.0.0.1 (loopback only), which limits exposure to the local machine. However, if PowerLine is accidentally exposed on a network (e.g., in a container or via port forwarding), the impact is critical.
Affected code:
packages/powerline/src/index.ts:46— token defaults to empty stringpackages/powerline/src/index.ts:63-76— auth interceptor is only added when token is truthy
Patches
0.70.1
Fix: Require an explicit --no-auth flag to run without authentication, rather than defaulting to no auth when the token is empty. Throw an error if starting without a token and without --no-auth.
Workarounds
Always provide --token or set GRACKLE_POWERLINE_TOKEN when starting PowerLine. The Grackle server does this automatically when managing PowerLine lifecycle.
Resources
- CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
- File:
packages/powerline/src/index.ts
- Record
GHSA-xq7h-vwjp-5vrh- CVSS 4.0
- 6.3 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-306
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
@grackle-ai/powerline Runs Without Authentication by Default
Impact
When --token is not provided and GRACKLE_POWERLINE_TOKEN is not set, the PowerLine gRPC server runs with zero authentication. A warning is logged ("NO AUTH (development only)") but nothing prevents deployment in this state. Any client that can reach the PowerLine port can spawn agent sessions, access credential tokens, and execute code.
The default binding is 127.0.0.1 (loopback only), which limits exposure to the local machine. However, if PowerLine is accidentally exposed on a network (e.g., in a container or via port forwarding), the impact is critical.
Affected code:
packages/powerline/src/index.ts:46— token defaults to empty stringpackages/powerline/src/index.ts:63-76— auth interceptor is only added when token is truthy
Patches
0.70.1
Fix: Require an explicit --no-auth flag to run without authentication, rather than defaulting to no auth when the token is empty. Throw an error if starting without a token and without --no-auth.
Workarounds
Always provide --token or set GRACKLE_POWERLINE_TOKEN when starting PowerLine. The Grackle server does this automatically when managing PowerLine lifecycle.
Resources
- CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
- File:
packages/powerline/src/index.ts
- Record
GHSA-xq7h-vwjp-5vrh- CVSS 4.0
- 6.3 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N - Weakness
- CWE-306
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | GitHub Advisories, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.