CVE-2023-22651 is a critical-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in github.com/rancher/rancher (go), affecting versions = 2.7.2. It is fixed in 2.7.3, 0.0.0-20230424183121-6d9a175954c6.
Impact A failure in the update logic of Rancher's admission Webhook may lead to the misconfiguration of the Webhook. This component enforces validation rules and security checks before resources are admitted into the Kubernetes cluster. When the Webhook is operating in a degraded state, it no longer validates any resources, which may result in severe privilege escalations and data corruption. The issue only affects users that upgrade from 2.6.x or 2.7.x to 2.7.2. Users that did a fresh install of 2.7.2 (and did not follow an upgrade path) are not affected. The command below can be executed on the local cluster to determine whether the cluster is affected by this issue: If the resulting webhook quantity is 0, the Rancher instance is affected. Patches Patched versions include release 2.7.3 and later versions. Workarounds If you are affected and cannot update to a patched Rancher version, the recommended workaround is to manually reconfigure the Webhook with the script below. Please note that the script must be run from inside the local cluster or with a kubeconfig pointing to the local cluster which has admin permissions. References https://github.com/rancher/webhook/pull/216/commits/a4a498613b43a3ee93c5ab06742a3bc8adace45d 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 our support matrix and product support lifecycle.
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
CVE-2023-22651 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). 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 (2.7.3, 0.0.0-20230424183121-6d9a175954c6). Upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
go
github.com/rancher/rancher (= 2.7.2)github.com/rancher/rancher (>= 0.0.0-20220922131902-ec6d6d3a7616, < 0.0.0-20230424183121-6d9a175954c6)github.com/rancher/rancher → 2.7.3 (go)github.com/rancher/rancher → 0.0.0-20230424183121-6d9a175954c6 (go)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 instead of chasing every advisory.
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Already deployed Kodem? See CVE-2023-22651 in your environment →Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:
github.com/rancher/rancher to 2.7.3 or latergithub.com/rancher/rancher to 0.0.0-20230424183121-6d9a175954c6 or laterKodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
CVE-2023-22651 is a critical-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in github.com/rancher/rancher (go), affecting versions = 2.7.2. It is fixed in 2.7.3, 0.0.0-20230424183121-6d9a175954c6. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
CVE-2023-22651 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). 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.
github.com/rancher/rancher (go) versions = 2.7.2 is affected.
Yes. CVE-2023-22651 is fixed in 2.7.3, 0.0.0-20230424183121-6d9a175954c6. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2023-22651 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
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.
github.com/rancher/rancher to 2.7.3 or latergithub.com/rancher/rancher to 0.0.0-20230424183121-6d9a175954c6 or later