CVE-2023-2878 — secrets-store-csi-driver
MEDIUMCVE-2023-2878 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-532 vulnerability in sigs.k8s.io/secrets-store-csi-driver. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for sigs.k8s.io/secrets-store-csi-driver — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Kubernetes secrets-store-csi-driver discloses service account tokens in logs
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-2878.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2023-2878 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,567 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
sigs.k8s.io/secrets-store-csi-driverReal-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 security issue was discovered in secrets-store-csi-driver where an actor with access to the driver logs could observe service account tokens. These tokens could then potentially be exchanged with external cloud providers to access secrets stored in cloud vault solutions. Tokens are only logged when TokenRequests is configured in the CSIDriver object and the driver is set to run at log level 2 or greater via the -v flag.
This issue has been rated MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N (6.5), and assigned CVE-2023-2878
Am I vulnerable?
You may be vulnerable if TokenRequests is configured in the CSIDriver object and the driver is set to run at log level 2 or greater via the -v flag.
To check if token requests are configured, run the following command:
kubectl get csidriver secrets-store.csi.k8s.io -o jsonpath="{.spec.tokenRequests}"
To check if tokens are being logged, examine the secrets-store container log:
kubectl logs -l app=secrets-store-csi-driver -c secrets-store -f | grep --line-buffered "csi.storage.k8s.io/serviceAccount.tokens"
Affected Versions
- secrets-store-csi-driver < 1.3.3
How do I mitigate this vulnerability?
Prior to upgrading, this vulnerability can be mitigated by running secrets-store-csi-driver at log level 0 or 1 via the -v flag.
Fixed Versions
- secrets-store-csi-driver >= 1.3.3
To upgrade, refer to the documentation: https://secrets-store-csi-driver.sigs.k8s.io/getting-started/upgrades.html#upgrades
Detection
Examine cloud provider logs for unexpected token exchanges, as well as unexpected access to cloud vault secrets.
If you find evidence that this vulnerability has been exploited, please contact [email protected]
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | sigs.k8s.io/secrets-store-csi-driver | all versions | 1.3.3go get sigs.k8s.io/secrets-store-csi-driver@v1.3.3 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for sigs.k8s.io/secrets-store-csi-driver, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update sigs.k8s.io/secrets-store-csi-driver to 1.3.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-2878 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2023-2878 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2023-2878. 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-2023-2878 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2023-2878 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.