Summary
Rancher 'Audit Log' leaks sensitive information
Workarounds
If AUDIT_LEVEL 1 or above is required and you cannot update to a patched Rancher version, ensure that the log is handled appropriately and it is not shared with other users or shipped into a log ingestion solution without the appropriate RBAC enforcement. Otherwise, disabling the Audit feature or decreasing it to the audit level 0, mitigates the issue.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Reach out to the SUSE Rancher Security team for security related inquiries.
- Open an issue in the Rancher repository.
- Verify with our support matrix and product support lifecycle.
Impact
A vulnerability has been identified which may lead to sensitive data being leaked into Rancher's audit logs. Rancher Audit Logging is an opt-in feature, only deployments that have it enabled and have AUDIT_LEVEL set to 1 or above are impacted by this issue.
The leaks might be caught in the audit logs upon these actions:
- Creating cloud credentials or new authentication providers. It is crucial to note that all authentication providers (such as AzureAD) and cloud providers (such as Google) are impacted.
- Downloading a kubeconfig file from a downstream or a local cluster.
- Logging in/out from Rancher.
The affected data may include the following:
- HTTP headers
| Field | Location |
|---|---|
| X-Api-Auth-Header | Request header |
| X-Api-Set-Cookie-Header | Response header |
| X-Amz-Security-Token | Request header |
| credentials | Request body |
| applicationSecret | Request Body |
| oauthCredential | Request Body |
| serviceAccountCredential | Request Body |
| spKey | Request Body |
| spCert | Request body |
| spCert | Response body |
| certificate | Request body |
| privateKey | Request body |
- API Server calls returning
Secretobjects (including sub-types, such askubernetes.io/dockerconfigjson). - Raw command lines used by agents to connect to the Rancher server which expose sensitive information (e.g.
register ... --token abc). Kubeconfigcontents when the 'Download KubeConfig' feature is used in the Rancher UI.
The patched versions will redact the sensitive data, replacing it with [redacted], making it safer for consumption. It is recommended that static secrets are rotated after the system is patched, to limit the potential impact of sensitive data being misused due to this vulnerability.
Note:
- The severity of the vulnerability is intricately tied to the logging strategy employed. If logs are kept locally (default configuration), the impact is contained within the system, limiting the exposure.
However, when logs are shipped to an external endpoint, the vulnerability's severity might increase, as resistance against leaks is contingent on the security measures implemented at the external log collector level. - The final impact severity for confidentiality, integrity and availability is dependent on the permissions that the leaked credentials have on their own services.
CVE-2023-22649 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). The vector is requires local access, high 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 (2.6.14, 2.7.10, 2.8.2); 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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Patched versions include releases 2.6.14, 2.7.10 and 2.8.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-22649? CVE-2023-22649 is a high-severity security vulnerability in github.com/rancher/rancher (go), affecting versions >= 2.6.0, < 2.6.14. It is fixed in 2.6.14, 2.7.10, 2.8.2.
- How severe is CVE-2023-22649? CVE-2023-22649 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (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/rancher/rancher are affected by CVE-2023-22649? github.com/rancher/rancher (go) versions >= 2.6.0, < 2.6.14 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-22649? Yes. CVE-2023-22649 is fixed in 2.6.14, 2.7.10, 2.8.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-22649 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-22649 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-2023-22649 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-2023-22649?
- Upgrade
github.com/rancher/rancherto 2.6.14 or later - Upgrade
github.com/rancher/rancherto 2.7.10 or later - Upgrade
github.com/rancher/rancherto 2.8.2 or later
- Upgrade