Description
python-jose thru 3.3.0 allows JWT tokens with 'alg=none' to be decoded and accepted without any cryptographic signature verification. A malicious actor can craft a forged token with arbitrary claims (e.g., is_admin=true) and bypass authentication checks, leading to privilege escalation or unauthorized access in applications that rely on python-jose for token validation. This issue is exploitable unless developers explicitly reject 'alg=none' tokens, which is not enforced by the library. NOTE: all parties agree that the issue is not relevant because it only occurs in a "verify_signature": False situation.
References3
Metrics
- CVSS 3.1
-
6.5
MEDIUM
Score source: CNA
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N - EPSS — exploit probability
- 0% percentile: 26 · as of 9 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-269
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