Summary
Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value in go-tuf
Workarounds
No workarounds are known for this issue apart from upgrading.
References
- Commit resolving the issue https://github.com/theupdateframework/go-tuf/commit/ed6788e710fc3093a7ecc2d078bf734c0f200d8d
- TUF specification version against which this vulnerability is observed is v.1.0.28. For more details, refer to Section 5.
- Codebase that is affected is go-tuf@f0c3294f63b9145029464164f9bce49553b77cbb
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in go-tuf
- Email us at TUF's mailing list
- The #tuf channel on CNCF Slack.
Impact
go-tuf does not correctly implement the client workflow for updating the metadata files for roles other than the root role. Specifically, checks for rollback attacks are not implemented correctly meaning an attacker can cause clients to install software that is older than the software which the client previously knew to be available, and may include software with known vulnerabilities.
In more detail, the client code of go-tuf has several issues in regards to preventing rollback attacks:
- It does not take into account the content of any previously trusted metadata, if available, before proceeding with updating roles other than the root role (i.e., steps 5.4.3.1 and 5.5.5 of the detailed client workflow). This means that any form of version verification done on the newly-downloaded metadata is made using the default value of zero, which always passes.
- For both timestamp and snapshot roles, go-tuf saves these metadata files as trusted before verifying if the version of the metafiles they refer to is correct (i.e., steps 5.5.4 and 5.6.4 of the detailed client workflow).
CVE-2022-29173 has a CVSS score of 8.0 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (0.3.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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A fix is available in version 0.3.0 or newer.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-29173? CVE-2022-29173 is a high-severity security vulnerability in github.com/theupdateframework/go-tuf (go), affecting versions < 0.3.0. It is fixed in 0.3.0.
- How severe is CVE-2022-29173? CVE-2022-29173 has a CVSS score of 8.0 (High). 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.
- Which versions of github.com/theupdateframework/go-tuf are affected by CVE-2022-29173? github.com/theupdateframework/go-tuf (go) versions < 0.3.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-29173? Yes. CVE-2022-29173 is fixed in 0.3.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-29173 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-29173 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
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-29173 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.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-29173? Upgrade
github.com/theupdateframework/go-tufto 0.3.0 or later.