Summary
SpiceDB exclusions can result in no permission returned when permission expected
Background
Use of an exclusion under an arrow that has multiple resources may resolve to NO_PERMISSION when permission is expected.
For example, given this schema:
definition user {}
definition folder {
relation member: user
relation banned: user
permission view = member - banned
}
definition resource {
relation folder: folder
permission view = folder->view
}
If the resource exists under multiple folders and the user has access to view more than a single folder, SpiceDB may report the user does not have access due to a failure in the exclusion dispatcher to request that all the folders in which the user is a member be returned
Workarounds
None
Impact
Permission is returned as NO_PERMISSION when PERMISSION is expected on the CheckPermission API.
CVE-2024-38361 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no 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 (1.33.1); 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-2024-38361? CVE-2024-38361 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/authzed/spicedb (go), affecting versions < 1.33.1. It is fixed in 1.33.1.
- How severe is CVE-2024-38361? CVE-2024-38361 has a CVSS score of 3.7 (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/authzed/spicedb are affected by CVE-2024-38361? github.com/authzed/spicedb (go) versions < 1.33.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2024-38361? Yes. CVE-2024-38361 is fixed in 1.33.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2024-38361 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-38361 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-2024-38361 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-2024-38361? Upgrade
github.com/authzed/spicedbto 1.33.1 or later.