CVE-2023-32186: Github.com/rancher/rke2 Denial of Service Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p45j-vfv5-wprq
CVSS 7.5
CWE-770
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-32186 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting Github.com/rancher/rke2 libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves rke2 supervisor port is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote denial-of-service (dos) attack via tls san stuffing attack. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.24.17, 1.25.13, 1.26.8, 1.27.5, 1.28.1.

CVE-2023-32186 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-32186
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p45j-vfv5-wprq
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Affected Product Github.com/rancher/rke2
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-32186

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/rancher/rke2 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/rancher/rke2 fixed: 1.24.17
Upgrade github.com/rancher/rke2 to 1.24.17
github.com/rancher/rke2 fixed: 1.25.13
Upgrade github.com/rancher/rke2 to 1.25.13
github.com/rancher/rke2 fixed: 1.26.8
Upgrade github.com/rancher/rke2 to 1.26.8
github.com/rancher/rke2 fixed: 1.27.5
Upgrade github.com/rancher/rke2 to 1.27.5
github.com/rancher/rke2 fixed: 1.28.1
Upgrade github.com/rancher/rke2 to 1.28.1
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/rancher/rke2

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2023-32186, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/rancher/rke2:

inspect dependencies for github.com/rancher/rke2

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/rancher/rke2 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.24.17), 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-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, where the product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated. In Github.com/rancher/rke2, 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 An issue was found in RKE2 where an attacker with network access to RKE2 servers' supervisor port (TCP 9345) can force the TLS server to add entries to the certificate's Subject Alternative Name (SAN) list, through a stuffing attack, until the certificate grows so large that it exceeds the maximum size allowed by TLS client implementations. OpenSSL for example will raise an `excessive message size` error when this occurs. No authentication is necessary to perform this attack, only the ability to perform a TLS handshake against the supervisor port (TCP 9345). Affected servers will continue to operate, but clients (server or agent nodes) will fail to establish new connections when joining or rejoining the cluster, thus leading to a denial of service (DoS) attack. ### Remediation Upgrade to a fixed release: - v1.28.1+rke2r1 - v1.27.5+rke2r1 - v1.26.8+rke2r1 - v1.25.13+rke2r1 - 1.24.17+rke2r1 If you are using RKE2 1.27 or earlier, you must also add the parameter `tls-san-security: true` to the RKE2 configuration to enable enhanced security for the supervisor's TLS SAN list. This option defaults to `true` starting with RKE2 1.28. Note that this flag changes the behavior of RKE2's supervisor listener. You should ensure that you configure `node-external-ip` on servers that will be connected to via an external IP, and add `tls-san` entries for any load-balancers or VIP addresses that will be associated with the supervisor port. External IPs and load-balancer/VIP addresses will no longer be added to the supervisor certificate's SAN list unless explicitly configured. ### Mitigation If you cannot upgrade to a fixed release, the certificate can be "frozen" by running the following command against the cluster: ```shell kubectl annotate secret -n kube-system rke2-serving listener.cattle.io/static=true ``` **⚠️ IMPORTANT CAUTION:** Note that this mitigation will prevent the certificate from adding new SAN entries when servers join the cluster, and automatically renewing itself when it is about to expire. If you do this, you should delete the annotation when adding new servers to the cluster, or when the certificate is within 90 days of expiring, so that it can be updated. Once that is done, you can freeze it again. Affected certificates can be reset by performing the following steps: * Run `kubectl delete secret -n kube-system rke2-serving` * Delete `/var/lib/rancher/rke2/server/tls/dynamic-cert.json` from all servers, and restart the `rke2-server` service. ### Background The RKE2 supervisor listens on port TCP 9345 and uses the `rancher/dynamiclistener` library to dynamically generate TLS certificates that contain TLS Subject Alternative Names (SAN) for any host name or IP address requested by a client. This is done to allow servers and external load-balancers to be added to the cluster without the administrator having to explicitly know and configure in advance a fixed list of endpoints that the supervisor may be hosted at. The library allows the embedding application to configure a callback that is used to filter addresses requested by clients; but this was not previously implemented in RKE2. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: - Reach out to the [SUSE Rancher Security team](https://github.com/rancher/rke2/security/policy) for security related inquiries. - Open an issue in the [RKE2](https://github.com/rancher/rke2/issues/new/choose) repository. - Verify with our [support matrix](https://www.suse.com/suse-rancher/support-matrix/all-supported-versions/) and [product support lifecycle](https://www.suse.com/lifecycle/).

CVE-2023-32186 Affected Github.com/rancher/rke2 Versions

5 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.24.171.25.131.26.81.27.51.28.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/rancher/rke2
Go
< 1.24.17
1.24.17
github.com/rancher/rke2
Go
≥ 1.25.0
< 1.25.13
1.25.13
github.com/rancher/rke2
Go
≥ 1.26.0
< 1.26.8
1.26.8
github.com/rancher/rke2
Go
≥ 1.27.0
< 1.27.5
1.27.5
github.com/rancher/rke2
Go
≥ 1.28.0
< 1.28.1
1.28.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-32186?
CVE-2023-32186 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/rancher/rke2 involving RKE2 supervisor port is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote denial-of-service (DoS) attack via TLS SAN stuffing attack under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling.
Which Github.com/rancher/rke2 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.24.17, 1.25.13, 1.26.8, 1.27.5, 1.28.1 across affected packages: github.com/rancher/rke2.
What version fixes CVE-2023-32186?
Upgrading to 1.24.17, 1.25.13, 1.26.8, 1.27.5, 1.28.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/rancher/rke2 affected?
Yes, github.com/rancher/rke2 is affected in releases prior to 1.24.17, 1.25.13, 1.26.8, 1.27.5, 1.28.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.24.17, 1.25.13, 1.26.8, 1.27.5, 1.28.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-32186?
CVE-2023-32186 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-32186?
CVE-2023-32186 is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2023-32186?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/rancher/rke2'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-p45j-vfv5-wprq",
  "modified" : "2023-09-20T21:28:30Z",
  "published" : "2023-09-11T13:47:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-32186" ],
  "summary" : "RKE2 supervisor port is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote denial-of-service (DoS) attack via TLS SAN stuffing attack",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nAn issue was found in RKE2 where an attacker with network access to RKE2 servers' supervisor port (TCP 9345) can force the TLS server to add entries to the certificate's Subject Alternative Name (SAN) list, through a stuffing attack, until the certificate grows so large that it exceeds the maximum size allowed by TLS client implementations. OpenSSL for example will raise an `excessive message size` error when this occurs. No authentication is necessary to perform this attack, only the ability to perform a TLS handshake against the supervisor port (TCP 9345).\n\nAffected servers will continue to operate, but clients (server or agent nodes) will fail to establish new connections when joining or rejoining the cluster, thus leading to a denial of service (DoS) attack.\n\n### Remediation\n\nUpgrade to a fixed release:\n- v1.28.1+rke2r1\n- v1.27.5+rke2r1\n- v1.26.8+rke2r1\n- v1.25.13+rke2r1\n- 1.24.17+rke2r1\n\nIf you are using RKE2 1.27 or earlier, you must also add the parameter `tls-san-security: true` to the RKE2 configuration to enable enhanced security for the supervisor's TLS SAN list. This option defaults to `true` starting with RKE2 1.28.\n\nNote that this flag changes the behavior of RKE2's supervisor listener. You should ensure that you configure `node-external-ip` on servers that will be connected to via an external IP, and add `tls-san` entries for any load-balancers or VIP addresses that will be associated with the supervisor port. External IPs and load-balancer/VIP addresses will no longer be added to the supervisor certificate's SAN list unless explicitly configured.\n\n### Mitigation\n\nIf you cannot upgrade to a fixed release, the certificate can be \"frozen\" by running the following command against the cluster:\n\n```shell\nkubectl annotate secret -n kube-system rke2-serving listener.cattle.io/static=true\n```\n\n**⚠️ IMPORTANT CAUTION:** Note that this mitigation will prevent the certificate from adding new SAN entries when servers join the cluster, and automatically renewing itself when it is about to expire. If you do this, you should delete the annotation when adding new servers to the cluster, or when the certificate is within 90 days of expiring, so that it can be updated. Once that is done, you can freeze it again.\n\nAffected certificates can be reset by performing the following steps:\n* Run `kubectl delete secret -n kube-system rke2-serving`\n* Delete `/var/lib/rancher/rke2/server/tls/dynamic-cert.json` from all servers, and restart the `rke2-server` service.\n\n### Background\n\nThe RKE2 supervisor listens on port TCP 9345 and uses the `rancher/dynamiclistener` library to dynamically generate TLS certificates that contain TLS Subject Alternative Names (SAN) for any host name or IP address requested by a client. This is done to allow servers and external load-balancers to be added to the cluster without the administrator having to explicitly know and configure in advance a fixed list of endpoints that the supervisor may be hosted at.\n\nThe library allows the embedding application to configure a callback that is used to filter addresses requested by clients; but this was not previously implemented in RKE2.\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n\n- Reach out to the [SUSE Rancher Security team](https://github.com/rancher/rke2/security/policy) for security related inquiries.\n- Open an issue in the [RKE2](https://github.com/rancher/rke2/issues/new/choose) repository.\n- Verify with our [support matrix](https://www.suse.com/suse-rancher/support-matrix/all-supported-versions/) and [product support lifecycle](https://www.suse.com/lifecycle/).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/rancher/rke2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      } ]
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  }, {
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    },
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    },
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    },
    "ranges" : [ {
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      }, {
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      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/rancher/rke2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
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      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rancher/rke2/security/advisories/GHSA-p45j-vfv5-wprq"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-32186"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2023-32186"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rancher/rke2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-770" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-09-11T13:47:16Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-09-19T10:15:13Z"
  }
}