Summary
ClickHouse vulnerable to client certificate password exposure in client exception
As initially reported in issue #1331, when client certificate authentication is enabled with password protection, the password (referred to as the client option sslkey) may be exposed in client exceptions (e.g., ClickHouseException or SQLException). This vulnerability can potentially lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, and violations of user privacy.
Details
During the handling of ClickHouseException, the client certificate password may be inadvertently exposed when sslkey is specified. This issue can arise when an exception is thrown during the execution of a query or a database operation. The client certificate password is then included in the exception message, which could be logged or exposed to unauthorized parties.
Impact
This vulnerability enables an attacker with access to client exception error messages or logs to obtain client certificate passwords, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive information, data manipulation, and denial of service attacks. The extent of the risk depends on the specific implementation and usage of the affected systems. However, any exposure of client certificate passwords should be treated as a high-priority security concern.
CVE-2024-23689 has a CVSS score of 4.8 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low 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 (0.4.6); 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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com.clickhouse:clickhouse-client to 0.4.6 or later; com.clickhouse:clickhouse-jdbc to 0.4.6 or later; com.clickhouse:clickhouse-r2dbc to 0.4.6 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-23689? CVE-2024-23689 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in com.clickhouse:clickhouse-client (maven), affecting versions < 0.4.6. It is fixed in 0.4.6.
- How severe is CVE-2024-23689? CVE-2024-23689 has a CVSS score of 4.8 (Medium). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2024-23689?
com.clickhouse:clickhouse-client(maven) (versions < 0.4.6)com.clickhouse:clickhouse-jdbc(maven) (versions < 0.4.6)com.clickhouse:clickhouse-r2dbc(maven) (versions < 0.4.6)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-23689? Yes. CVE-2024-23689 is fixed in 0.4.6. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-23689 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-23689 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-2024-23689 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-2024-23689?
- Upgrade
com.clickhouse:clickhouse-clientto 0.4.6 or later - Upgrade
com.clickhouse:clickhouse-jdbcto 0.4.6 or later - Upgrade
com.clickhouse:clickhouse-r2dbcto 0.4.6 or later
- Upgrade