Summary
Rancher does not automatically clean up a user deleted or disabled from the configured Authentication Provider
Impact
A vulnerability has been identified in which Rancher does not automatically clean up a user which has been deleted from the configured authentication provider (AP). This characteristic also applies to disabled or revoked users, Rancher will not reflect these modifications which may leave the user’s tokens still usable.
An AP must be enabled to be affected by this, as the built-in User Management feature is not affected by this vulnerability.
This issue may lead to an adversary gaining unauthorized access, as the user’s access privileges may still be active within Rancher even though they are no longer valid on the configured AP (please consult the MITRE ATT&CK - Technique - Valid Accounts for further information about the associated technique of attack).
It’s important to note that all configurable APs are impacted, see Rancher Docs - Configuring Authentication - External vs. Local Authentication to get the full authentication providers list.
To address this issue, the fix introduces a new user retention process that can be configured to run periodically and disable and/or delete inactive users. If enabled a user becomes subject to retention if they don't login for a configurable period of time. It's possible to set overrides for users that are used mainly for programmatic access (e.g. CI, scripts etc.) so that they don't become subject to retention for a longer period of time or at all. The user retention process is disabled by default, to avoid deleting wrong accounts. It is up to each user to enable it and configure the retention period as it best suits its environment.
Be aware that once the process is enabled, it might take a few days for previous users that have been revoked or deleted from the AP to be automatically removed from Rancher. To attenuate the risk of this condition, we recommend to regularly audit the AP’s user accounts for activity and manually deactivate or remove them from Rancher, if they are no longer needed.
For further information about the user retention process configuration, please refer to the dedicated documentation Rancher Docs - Advanced User Guides - Enable User Retention.
The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access. Typical impact: unauthorized access to functions or data reserved for authenticated parties.
CVE-2023-22650 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). 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 (2.7.14, 2.8.5); 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.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Patched versions include releases 2.7.14 and 2.8.5.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2023-22650? CVE-2023-22650 is a high-severity improper authentication vulnerability in github.com/rancher/rancher (go), affecting versions >= 2.7.0, < 2.7.14. It is fixed in 2.7.14, 2.8.5. The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access.
- How severe is CVE-2023-22650? CVE-2023-22650 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (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-2023-22650? github.com/rancher/rancher (go) versions >= 2.7.0, < 2.7.14 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2023-22650? Yes. CVE-2023-22650 is fixed in 2.7.14, 2.8.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2023-22650 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-22650 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-2023-22650 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-2023-22650?
- Upgrade
github.com/rancher/rancherto 2.7.14 or later - Upgrade
github.com/rancher/rancherto 2.8.5 or later
- Upgrade