NextAuth.js provides authentication for Next.js. From next-auth 5.0.0-beta.0 until 5.0.0-beta.32, applications that gate access by checking only for the existence of the auth object returned by the auth() wrapper can fail open when Auth.js has a server configuration error. In middleware, Route Handlers, React Server Components, and other auth() entry points, a non-OK session response is parsed into a truthy error object instead of null, so checks such as !!auth and if (req.auth) evaluate to true for unauthenticated requests. A provider missing both the issuer and authorization endpoint triggers InvalidEndpoints, and an unset AUTH_SECRET or another server configuration error can produce the same behavior. There is no impact while configuration is valid, but after a deployment becomes misconfigured, routes protected only by session existence silently grant access to every visitor. This issue is fixed in next-auth 5.0.0-beta.32.

Affected: npm: next-auth

### Impact

`next-auth` (Auth.js) v5 applications that gate access by checking only for the **existence** of the `auth` object — the pattern shown in the official [session management / protecting resources guide](https://authjs.dev/getting-started/session-management/protecting) — are affected.

When the Auth.js configuration produces a server-side error, the `auth` object exposed by the `auth()` wrapper (in middleware, Route Handlers, etc.) is **populated with an error object instead of being `null`**:

```json { "message": "There was a problem with the server configuration. Check the server logs for more information." } ```

Because this object is truthy, any authorization check of the form `!!auth` (or `if (req.auth)`) evaluates to `true` for **every** request, including unauthenticated ones. The application *fails open*: instead of denying access when the auth layer is broken, it grants access to everyone.

```ts // middleware.ts — affected pattern export default auth((req) => { const { nextUrl, auth } = req const isLoggedIn = !!auth // <-- always true when the configuration is broken // ... }) ```

A representative trigger is a provider that is missing required configuration. For example, a Keycloak provider with neither `issuer` nor `authorization` endpoint set logs:

``` [auth][error] InvalidEndpoints: Provider "keycloak" is missing both `issuer` and `authorization` endpoint config. At least one of them is required. ```

…and from that point on `auth` is the erro…