Summary
wolfictl leaks GitHub tokens to remote non-GitHub git servers
A git authentication issue allows a local user’s GitHub token to be sent to remote servers other than github.com.
Details
Most git-dependent functionality in wolfictl relies on its own git package, which contains centralized logic for implementing interactions with git repositories. Some of this functionality requires authentication in order to access private repositories. There’s a central function GetGitAuth:
This looks for a GitHub token in the environment variable GITHUB_TOKEN and returns it as an HTTP basic auth object to be used with the github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 library.
Most callers (direct or indirect) of GetGitAuth use the token to authenticate to github.com only; however, in some cases callers were passing this authentication without checking that the remote git repository was hosted on github.com.
Issue 1
One of these callers processed git URLs from Melange package configurations, cloning the package’s upstream repository in order to determine which project dependencies have been upgraded since the prior update.
This issue affects the command wolfictl check update, and the set of remote git hosts is a function of the Melange package configuration files residing in the local directory specified in the command.
Issue 2
Another caller processes a git URL received as a command line argument and clones the repository to look for new available versions of the given project.
This issue affects the command wolfictl update.
This behavior has existed in one form or another since https://github.com/wolfi-dev/wolfictl/commit/0d06e1578300327c212dda26a5ab31d09352b9d0 - committed January 25, 2023.
PoC
GITHUB_TOKEN=test wolfictl update http://git.example.com/
Examining traffic sent to the remote server will show that the HTTP Authorization header contains test in base64 encoded format.
Impact
This impacts anyone who ran the wolfictl check update commands with a Melange configuration that included a git-checkout directive step that referenced a git repository not hosted on github.com.
This also impacts anyone who ran wolfictl update <url> with a remote URL outside of github.com.
Additionally, these subcommands must have run with the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable set to a valid GitHub token.
CVE-2024-35183 has a CVSS score of 4.4 (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 (0.16.10); 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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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2024-35183? CVE-2024-35183 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/wolfi-dev/wolfictl (go), affecting versions < 0.16.10. It is fixed in 0.16.10.
- How severe is CVE-2024-35183? CVE-2024-35183 has a CVSS score of 4.4 (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 versions of github.com/wolfi-dev/wolfictl are affected by CVE-2024-35183? github.com/wolfi-dev/wolfictl (go) versions < 0.16.10 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-35183? Yes. CVE-2024-35183 is fixed in 0.16.10. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-35183 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-35183 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-2024-35183 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-2024-35183? Upgrade
github.com/wolfi-dev/wolfictlto 0.16.10 or later.