CVE-2022-21953
HIGHCVE-2022-21953 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.4) CWE-862 vulnerability in github.com/rancher/rancher. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2022-21953 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Authenticated user can gain unauthorized shell pod and kubectl access in the local cluster
Blast Radius
github.com/rancher/rancher🐹github.com/rancher/rancher🐹github.com/rancher/rancherReal-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
A Missing Authorization vulnerability in of SUSE Rancher allows authenticated user to create an unauthorized shell pod and kubectl access in the local cluster This issue affects: SUSE Rancher Rancher versions prior to 2.5.17; Rancher versions prior to 2.6.10; Rancher versions prior to 2.7.1.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/rancher/rancher | ≥ 2.5.0&&< 2.5.17 | 2.5.17 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/rancher/rancher | ≥ 2.6.0&&< 2.6.10 | 2.6.10 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/rancher/rancher | ≥ 2.7.0&&< 2.7.1 | 2.7.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/rancher/rancher. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/rancher/rancher to 2.5.17 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2022-21953 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.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2022-21953 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2022-21953. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2022-21953 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2022-21953 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.