CVE-2022-1706

Ignition config accessible to unprivileged software on VMware

Unprivileged software in VMware VMs, including software running in unprivileged containers, can retrieve an Ignition config stored in a hypervisor guestinfo variable or OVF environment. If the Ignition config contains secrets, this can result in the compromise of sensitive information.

The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions. Typical impact: unauthorized data access or execution of privileged operations.

CVE-2022-1706 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.14.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

Already deployed Kodem?

Ignition 2.14.0 and later adds a new systemd service, ignition-delete-config.service, that deletes the Ignition config from supported hypervisors (currently VMware and VirtualBox) during the first boot. This ensures that unprivileged software cannot retrieve the Ignition config from the hypervisor.

If you have external tooling that requires the Ignition config to remain accessible in VM metadata after provisioning, and your Ignition config does not include sensitive information, you can prevent Ignition 2.14.0 and later from deleting the config by masking ignition-delete-config.service. For example:

{
  "ignition": {
    "version": "3.0.0"
  },
  "systemd": {
    "units": [
      {
        "name": "ignition-delete-config.service",
        "mask": true
      }
    ]
  }
}

1. What is CVE-2022-1706? CVE-2022-1706 is a medium-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in github.com/coreos/ignition/v2 (go), affecting versions < 2.14.0. It is fixed in 2.14.0. The application does not correctly enforce access controls, allowing a principal to access resources or operations beyond their granted permissions.
2. How severe is CVE-2022-1706? CVE-2022-1706 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2022-1706?
   • github.com/coreos/ignition/v2 (go) (versions < 2.14.0)
   • github.com/coreos/ignition (go) (versions <= 0.35.0)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2022-1706? Yes. CVE-2022-1706 is fixed in 2.14.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2022-1706 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-1706 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2022-1706 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2022-1706?
   • Upgrade github.com/coreos/ignition/v2 to 2.14.0 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/coreos/ignition to 2.14.0 or later