What is CVE-2023-32198?

CVE-2023-32198 is a high-severity security vulnerability in github.com/rancher/steve (go), affecting versions >= 0.2.0, < 0.2.1. It is fixed in 0.2.1, 0.4.4, 0.5.13, 0.3.3.

How severe is CVE-2023-32198?

CVE-2023-32198 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/rancher/steve are affected by CVE-2023-32198?

github.com/rancher/steve (go) versions >= 0.2.0, < 0.2.1 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2023-32198?

Yes. CVE-2023-32198 is fixed in 0.2.1, 0.4.4, 0.5.13, 0.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2023-32198 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-32198 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-2023-32198 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-2023-32198?

Upgrade: github.com/rancher/steve to 0.2.1 or later, github.com/rancher/steve to 0.4.4 or later, github.com/rancher/steve to 0.5.13 or later, github.com/rancher/steve to 0.3.3 or later.

CVE-2023-32198 in github.com/rancher/steve | Intelligent Application Security

Q: How severe is CVE-2023-32198?

CVE-2023-32198 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.

Q: Which versions of github.com/rancher/steve are affected by CVE-2023-32198?

github.com/rancher/steve (go) versions >= 0.2.0, < 0.2.1 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2023-32198?

Yes. CVE-2023-32198 is fixed in 0.2.1, 0.4.4, 0.5.13, 0.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2023-32198 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2023-32198 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-2023-32198 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-2023-32198?

Upgrade: github.com/rancher/steve to 0.2.1 or later, github.com/rancher/steve to 0.4.4 or later, github.com/rancher/steve to 0.5.13 or later, github.com/rancher/steve to 0.3.3 or later.

Summary

Workarounds

If you can't upgrade to a fixed version, please make sure that you are only using Steve to connect to trusted servers.

References

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 in Steve where by default it was using an insecure option that did not validate the certificate presented by the remote server while performing a TLS connection. This could allow the execution of a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack against services using Steve.

For example, Rancher relies on Steve as a dependency for its user interface (UI) to proxy requests to Kubernetes clusters. Users who have the permission to create a service in Rancher’s local cluster can take over Rancher’s UI and display their own UI to gather sensitive information. This is only possible when the setting ui-offline-preferred is manually set to remote (by default Rancher sets it to dynamic). This enables further attacks such as cross-site scripting (XSS), or tampering the UI to collect passwords from other users etc.

Please consult the associated MITRE ATT&CK - Technique - Adversary-in-the-Middle for further information about this category of attack.

CVE-2023-32198 has a CVSS score of 8.0 (High). The vector is network-reachable, high 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 (0.2.1, 0.4.4, 0.5.13, 0.3.3); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

github.com/rancher/steve (>= 0.2.0, < 0.2.1) github.com/rancher/steve (>= 0.4.0, < 0.4.4) github.com/rancher/steve (>= 0.5.0, < 0.5.13) github.com/rancher/steve (>= 0.3.0, < 0.3.3)

Security releases

github.com/rancher/steve → 0.2.1 (go) github.com/rancher/steve → 0.4.4 (go) github.com/rancher/steve → 0.5.13 (go) github.com/rancher/steve → 0.3.3 (go)

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.

See it in your environment

Remediation advice

Patched versions of Steve include releases v0.2.1, v0.3.3, v0.4.4 and v0.5.13.

This vulnerability is addressed by changing Steve to always verify a server’s certificate based on Go’s TLS settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-32198? CVE-2023-32198 is a high-severity security vulnerability in github.com/rancher/steve (go), affecting versions >= 0.2.0, < 0.2.1. It is fixed in 0.2.1, 0.4.4, 0.5.13, 0.3.3.
How severe is CVE-2023-32198? CVE-2023-32198 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/rancher/steve are affected by CVE-2023-32198? github.com/rancher/steve (go) versions >= 0.2.0, < 0.2.1 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2023-32198? Yes. CVE-2023-32198 is fixed in 0.2.1, 0.4.4, 0.5.13, 0.3.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2023-32198 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-32198 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-2023-32198 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-2023-32198?
- Upgrade github.com/rancher/steve to 0.2.1 or later
- Upgrade github.com/rancher/steve to 0.4.4 or later
- Upgrade github.com/rancher/steve to 0.5.13 or later
- Upgrade github.com/rancher/steve to 0.3.3 or later

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/rancher/steve

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