How severe is CVE-2023-33959?

CVE-2023-33959 has a CVSS score of 8.3/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-33959?

CVE-2023-33959 affects the following packages: github.com/notaryproject/notation-go (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2023-33959?

Update github.com/notaryproject/notation-go to 1.0.0-rc.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-33959 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2023-33959 in my Go dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-33959 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-2023-33959 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2023-33959 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-2023-33959?

CVE-2023-33959 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.4%, placing it in the 29th 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-2023-33959?

CVE-2023-33959 is classified as CWE-347 (CWE-347). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2023-33959 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-33959 was published on June 6, 2023 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-2023-33959 — notation-go

HIGHFix: notaryproject/notation-go@39c8ed0

CVE-2023-33959 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.3) CWE-347 vulnerability in github.com/notaryproject/notation-go. A fix is available for github.com/notaryproject/notation-go — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Verification bypass can cause users into verifying the wrong artifact

Also known asGHSA-xhg5-42rf-296rGO-2023-1832

Published

Jun 6, 2023

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 6, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs29th percentile — riskier than 29% 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/notaryproject/notation-go

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

An attacker who controls or compromises a registry can lead a user to verify the wrong artifact.

Patches

The problem has been fixed in the release v1.0.0-rc.6. Users should upgrade their notation-go library to v1.0.0-rc.6 or above.

Workarounds

User should use secure and trusted container registries.

Credits

The notation project would like to thank Adam Korczynski (@AdamKorcz) for responsibly disclosing the issue found during an security audit (facilitated by OSTIF and sponsored by CNCF) and Shiwei Zhang (@shizhMSFT), Pritesh Bandi (@priteshbandi) for root cause analysis.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/notaryproject/notation-go`	all versions	1.0.0-rc.6`go get github.com/notaryproject/notation-go@v1.0.0-rc.6`

Affected Products

1 product · 6 configurations

Application

notation-gonotaryproject

< 1.0.0

1 version

1.0.0

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/notaryproject/notation-go, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/notaryproject/notation-go to 1.0.0-rc.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-33959 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 An attacker who controls or compromises a registry can lead a user to verify the wrong artifact. ### Patches The problem has been fixed in the release [v1.0.0-rc.6](https://github.com/notaryproject/notation-go/releases/tag/v1.0.0-rc.6). Users should upgrade their notation-go library to [v1.0.0-rc.6](https://github.com/notaryproject/notation-go/releases/tag/v1.0.0-rc.6) or above. ### Workarounds User should use secure and trusted container registries. ### Credits The `notation` project would like to thank Adam Korczynski (@AdamKorcz) for responsibly disclosing the issue found duri