CVE-2023-43631: EVE SSH As Root Unlockable Without Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3mq9-xhgq-r7gj
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CVSS 5.9
CWE-922 CWE-522
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-43631 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) ssh as root unlockable without vulnerability (CWE-922: Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information) affecting EVE libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves ssh as root unlockable without triggering measured boot. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758.

CVE-2023-43631 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-43631
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3mq9-xhgq-r7gj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-922: Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information
Affected Product EVE
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Physical (AV:P)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2023-43631

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected EVE dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

github.com/lf-edge/eve fixed: 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758 
Upgrade github.com/lf-edge/eve to 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for github.com/lf-edge/eve

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-43631, inspect your project dependencies for EVE:

inspect dependencies for github.com/lf-edge/eve

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of EVE in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-922: Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information, where the product stores sensitive information without properly limiting read or write access by unauthorized actors. In EVE, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact On boot, the Pillar container checks for /config/authorized_keys. If present with a valid public key, it enables SSH on port 22 with root login. The /config partition is not protected by measured boot, is mutable and unencrypted. This enables an attacker with physical access to the device to take out the disk, modify the /config partition using a separate server, then insert it, without the inserted key being flagged as an integrity voilation my measured boot and remote attestation. ### Patches Patched in 9.4.3-lts ### Workarounds None (apart from preventing physical access to the device)

CVE-2023-43631 Affected EVE Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/lf-edge/eve
golang/github.com/lf-edge/eve
Go
< 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758
0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/lf-edge/eve/security/advisories/GHSA-3mq9-xhgq-r7gj
NVD — CVE-2023-43631 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-43631
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/lf-edge/eve/commit/5fef4d92e75838cc78010edaed5247dfbdae1889
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/lf-edge/eve/commit/aa3501d6c57206ced222c33aea15a9169d629141
EVE Security Information SECURITY
https://asrg.io/security-advisories/cve-2023-43631
EVE Security Information SECURITY
https://asrg.io/security-advisories/ssh-as-root-unlockable-without-triggering-measured-boot
EVE Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/lf-edge/eve

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-43631?
CVE-2023-43631 is a security vulnerability in EVE involving SSH as Root Unlockable Without Triggering Measured Boot under CWE-922: Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information.
Which EVE versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758 across affected packages: github.com/lf-edge/eve.
What version fixes CVE-2023-43631?
Upgrading to 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/lf-edge/eve affected?
Yes, github.com/lf-edge/eve is affected in releases prior to 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758. Upgrade your dependency to 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-43631?
CVE-2023-43631 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-43631?
CVE-2023-43631 is classified under CWE-922: Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information (The product stores sensitive information without properly limiting read or write access by unauthorized actors.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2023-43631?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/lf-edge/eve'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3mq9-xhgq-r7gj",
  "modified" : "2026-02-04T20:46:16Z",
  "published" : "2026-02-04T20:46:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-43631" ],
  "summary" : "EVE: SSH as Root Unlockable Without Triggering Measured Boot",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nOn boot, the Pillar container checks for /config/authorized_keys. If present with a valid public key, it enables SSH on port 22 with root login. The /config partition is not protected by measured boot, is mutable and unencrypted.\n\nThis enables an attacker with physical access to the device to take out the disk, modify the /config partition using a separate server, then insert it, without the inserted key being flagged as an integrity voilation my measured boot and remote attestation.\n\n### Patches\n\nPatched in 9.4.3-lts\n\n### Workarounds\n\nNone (apart from preventing physical access to the device)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/lf-edge/eve"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lf-edge/eve/security/advisories/GHSA-3mq9-xhgq-r7gj"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-43631"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lf-edge/eve/commit/5fef4d92e75838cc78010edaed5247dfbdae1889"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lf-edge/eve/commit/aa3501d6c57206ced222c33aea15a9169d629141"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://asrg.io/security-advisories/cve-2023-43631"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://asrg.io/security-advisories/ssh-as-root-unlockable-without-triggering-measured-boot"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/lf-edge/eve"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-522", "CWE-922" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-02-04T20:46:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}