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Fencer Intel
medium —

GHSA-xq7h-vwjp-5vrh json

@grackle-ai/powerline Runs Without Authentication by Default

published 7mo ago modified 7mo ago

cvss
—
not scored
cisa kev
Not listed
not in CISA's catalog
epss
—
no score, EPSS covers CVEs only
public exploits
0
none known

Summary

### 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 string - `packages/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`

Patch / fix

  • npm @grackle-ai/powerline 0.70.1

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Affected packages

ecosystem package affected fixed in
npm @grackle-ai/powerline
<0.70.1
0.70.1

Classification

Weakness
  • CWE-306 Missing Authentication for Critical Functionality

References

Sources

Fencer Intel keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.