How severe is CVE-2022-21646?

CVE-2022-21646 has a CVSS score of 8.1/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2022-21646?

CVE-2022-21646 affects the following packages: github.com/authzed/spicedb (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2022-21646?

Update github.com/authzed/spicedb to 1.4.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21646 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2022-21646 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/authzed/spicedb, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2022-21646 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Is CVE-2022-21646 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2022-21646 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2022-21646?

CVE-2022-21646 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.3%, placing it in the 71th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2022-21646?

CVE-2022-21646 is classified as Improper Input Validation (CWE-20), CWE-155 (CWE-155). These weakness types describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2022-21646 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2022-21646 was published on January 11, 2022 and was last updated on October 28, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐹

🐹 Go

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

CVE-2022-21646 — spicedb

HIGHFix: authzed/spicedb@15bba2e

CVE-2022-21646 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in github.com/authzed/spicedb. A fix is available for github.com/authzed/spicedb — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Lookup operations do not take into account wildcards in SpiceDB

Also known asGHSA-7p8f-8hjm-wm92GO-2022-0295

Published

Jan 11, 2022

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 4, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2022-21646.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk+0.04%

Lower risk than most CVEs71th percentile — riskier than 71% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐹github.com/authzed/spicedb

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Impact

Any user making use of a wildcard relationship under the right hand branch of an exclusion or within an intersection operation will see Lookup/LookupResources return a resource as "accessible" if it is not accessible by virtue of the inclusion of the wildcard in the intersection or the right side of the exclusion.

For example, given schema:

definition user {}

definition resource {
   relation viewer: user
   relation banned: user | user:*
   permission view = viewer - banned
}

If user:* is placed into the banned relation for a particular resource, view should return false for all resources. in v1.3.0, the wildcard is ignored entirely in lookup's dispatch, resulting in the banned wildcard being ignored in the exclusion.

Workarounds

Don't make use of wildcards on the right side of intersections or within exclusions.

References

https://github.com/authzed/spicedb/issues/358

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in SpiceDB
Ask a question in the SpiceDB Discord

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/authzed/spicedb`	≥ 1.3.0&&< 1.4.0	1.4.0`go get github.com/authzed/spicedb@v1.4.0`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

spicedbauthzed

1 version

1.3.0

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/authzed/spicedb, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/authzed/spicedb to 1.4.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21646 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact Any user making use of a wildcard relationship under the right hand branch of an `exclusion` or within an `intersection` operation will see `Lookup`/`LookupResources` return a resource as "accessible" if it is *not* accessible by virtue of the inclusion of the wildcard in the intersection or the right side of the exclusion. For example, given schema: ```zed definition user {} definition resource { relation viewer: user relation banned: user | user:* permission view = viewer - banned } ``` If `user:*` is placed into the `banned` relation for a particular resource, `view`