CVE-2023-32698 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) Incorrect Default Permissions vulnerability in github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/v2. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/v2 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
nfpm vulnerable to Incorrect Default Permissions
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.
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-32698.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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
github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/v2🐹github.com/goreleaser/nfpmReal-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
Summary
When building packages directly from source control, file permissions on the checked-in files are not maintained.
Details
When building packages directly from source control, file permissions on the checked-in files are not maintained. When nfpm packaged the files (without extra config for enforcing its own permissions) files could go out with bad permissions (chmod 666 or 777).
PoC
Create a default nfpm structure.
Within the test folder, create 3 files named chmod-XXX.sh. Each script has file
permissions set corresponding with their file names (chmod-777.sh = chmod 777). Below each
file and permissions can be seen.
$ ls -lart test
total 24
-rwxrwxrwx 1 user group 11 May 19 13:15 chmod-777.sh
-rw-rw-rw- 1 user group 11 May 19 13:16 chmod-666.sh
drwxr-xr-x 5 user group 160 May 19 13:19 .
-rw-rw-r-- 1 user group 11 May 19 13:19 chmod-664.sh
drwxr-xr-x 10 user group 320 May 19 13:29 ..
Below is the snippet nfpm configuration file of the contents of the package. The test folder and files has no extra config for enforcing permissions.
contents:
- src: foo-binary
dst: /usr/bin/bar
- src: bar-config.conf
dst: /etc/foo-binary/bar-config.conf
type: config
- src: test
dst: /etc/test/scripts
The next step is to create a deb package.
$ nfpm package -p deb # Create dep package
using deb packager...
created package: foo_1.0.0_arm64.deb
When on a Ubuntu VM, install the foo package which was created
$ sudo dpkg -i foo_1.0.0_arm64.deb # Installing deb package within Ubuntu
Selecting previously unselected package foo.
(Reading database ... 67540 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack foo_1.0.0_arm64.deb ...
Unpacking foo (1.0.0) ...
Setting up foo (1.0.0) ...
Looking at /etc/test/scripts and viewing the permissions. Permissions are passed exactly the same as the source.
$ ls -lart /etc/test/scripts
total 20
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 May 22 12:15 chmod-777.sh
-rw-rw-rw- 1 root root 11 May 22 12:16 chmod-666.sh
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 11 May 22 12:19 chmod-664.sh
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 May 22 13:00 ..
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 May 22 13:00 .
Solution
To prevent world-writable files from making it into the packages, add the ability to override the default permissions of packaged files using a umask config option in the packaging spec file. This feature in nfpm would allow applying a global umask across any files being packaged, therefore, with the correct configuration, preventing world-writable files without needing to list permissions on each and every file in the package
Impact
Vulnerability is https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/276.html https://www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3.0#CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Anyone using nfpm for creating packages and not checking/setting file permissions before packaging could result in bad permissions for files/folders.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/v2 | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.29.0 | 2.29.0go get github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/v2@v2.29.0 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/goreleaser/nfpm | ≥ 0.1.0 | No fix |
Affected Products
nfpmgoreleaserResearch 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 github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/v2, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/v2 to 2.29.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-32698 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2023-32698 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.