What is CVE-2023-1521?

CVE-2023-1521 is a high-severity security vulnerability in sccache (rust), affecting versions < 0.4.0. It is fixed in 0.4.0.

How severe is CVE-2023-1521?

CVE-2023-1521 has a CVSS score of 8.4 (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 sccache are affected by CVE-2023-1521?

sccache (rust) versions < 0.4.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2023-1521?

Yes. CVE-2023-1521 is fixed in 0.4.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2023-1521 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-1521 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2023-1521 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-2023-1521?

Upgrade sccache to 0.4.0 or later.

CVE-2023-1521 in sccache

Q: How severe is CVE-2023-1521?

CVE-2023-1521 has a CVSS score of 8.4 (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.

Q: Which versions of sccache are affected by CVE-2023-1521?

sccache (rust) versions < 0.4.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2023-1521?

Yes. CVE-2023-1521 is fixed in 0.4.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2023-1521 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-1521 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2023-1521 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2023-1521?

Upgrade sccache to 0.4.0 or later.

Summary

sccache vulnerable to privilege escalation if server is run as root

Workarounds

Don't run sccache server as root.

GitHub Security Lab number

GHSL-2023-046

Impact

On Linux the sccache client can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of a local sccache server, by preloading the code in a shared library passed to LD_PRELOAD.

If the server is run as root (which is the default when installing the snap package), this means a user running the sccache client can get root privileges.

CVE-2023-1521 has a CVSS score of 8.4 (High). The vector is requires local access, no 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 (0.4.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

sccache (< 0.4.0)

Security releases

sccache → 0.4.0 (rust)

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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Remediation advice

Upgrade to 0.4.0

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-1521? CVE-2023-1521 is a high-severity security vulnerability in sccache (rust), affecting versions < 0.4.0. It is fixed in 0.4.0.
How severe is CVE-2023-1521? CVE-2023-1521 has a CVSS score of 8.4 (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 sccache are affected by CVE-2023-1521? sccache (rust) versions < 0.4.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2023-1521? Yes. CVE-2023-1521 is fixed in 0.4.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2023-1521 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-1521 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-2023-1521 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-2023-1521? Upgrade sccache to 0.4.0 or later.