CVE-2023-1943: K8s.io/kops KOps Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8gwj-m6vh-2g6j
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CVSS 8.0
CWE-250
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-1943 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.0) kops privilege escalation vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges) affecting K8s.io/kops libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves kops privilege escalation vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.25.4, 1.26.2.

CVE-2023-1943 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-1943
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8gwj-m6vh-2g6j
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.0
CWE Classification CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges
Affected Product K8s.io/kops
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.0

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-1943

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected K8s.io/kops dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

k8s.io/kops fixed: 1.25.4 
Upgrade k8s.io/kops to 1.25.4
k8s.io/kops fixed: 1.26.2 
Upgrade k8s.io/kops to 1.26.2
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 k8s.io/kops

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-1943, inspect your project dependencies for K8s.io/kops:

inspect dependencies for k8s.io/kops

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of K8s.io/kops in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.25.4), 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-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges, where the product performs an operation at a privilege level that is higher than the minimum level required, which creates new weaknesses or amplifies the consequences of other weaknesses. In K8s.io/kops, 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

Privilege Escalation in kOps using GCE/GCP Provider in Gossip Mode.

CVE-2023-1943 Affected K8s.io/kops Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.25.41.26.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
k8s.io/kops
golang/k8s.io/kops
Go
< 1.25.4
1.25.4
k8s.io/kops
golang/k8s.io/kops
Go
≥ 1.26.0
< 1.26.2
1.26.2

References

NVD — CVE-2023-1943 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1943
K8s.io/kops Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kops/issues/15539
K8s.io/kops Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kops
K8s.io/kops Security Information SECURITY
https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/yrCE1x89oaU

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-1943?
CVE-2023-1943 is a security vulnerability in K8s.io/kops involving kOps privilege escalation vulnerability under CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges.
Which K8s.io/kops versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.25.4, 1.26.2 across affected packages: k8s.io/kops.
What version fixes CVE-2023-1943?
Upgrading to 1.25.4, 1.26.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is k8s.io/kops affected?
Yes, k8s.io/kops is affected in releases prior to 1.25.4, 1.26.2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.25.4, 1.26.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-1943?
CVE-2023-1943 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.0 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-1943?
CVE-2023-1943 is classified under CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges (The product performs an operation at a privilege level that is higher than the minimum level required, which creates new weaknesses or amplifies the consequences of other weaknesses.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2023-1943?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for k8s.io/kops'. 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-8gwj-m6vh-2g6j",
  "modified" : "2023-10-18T18:29:01Z",
  "published" : "2023-10-12T00:30:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-1943" ],
  "summary" : "kOps privilege escalation vulnerability",
  "details" : "Privilege Escalation in kOps using GCE/GCP Provider in Gossip Mode.\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/kops"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.25.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/kops"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.26.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.26.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1943"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kops/issues/15539"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kops"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/yrCE1x89oaU"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-250" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-10-18T18:29:01Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-10-12T00:15:10Z"
  }
}