How severe is CVE-2023-3676?

CVE-2023-3676 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-3676?

CVE-2023-3676 affects the following packages: k8s.io/kubernetes (Go), k8s.io/kubernetes (Go), k8s.io/kubernetes (Go), k8s.io/kubernetes (Go), k8s.io/kubernetes (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2023-3676?

Update k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.28.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-3676 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2023-3676 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for k8s.io/kubernetes, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-3676 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-2023-3676 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2023-3676, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2023-3676?

CVE-2023-3676 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 13.2%, placing it in the 96th 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 warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2023-3676?

CVE-2023-3676 is classified as Improper Input Validation (CWE-20). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2023-3676 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-3676 was published on October 31, 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-2023-3676 — kubernetes

HIGHFix: kubernetes/kubernetes#120127

CVE-2023-3676 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in k8s.io/kubernetes. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for k8s.io/kubernetes — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Kubernetes - Windows nodes - Insufficient input sanitization leads to privilege escalation

Also known asGHSA-7fxm-f474-hf8wGO-2023-2330

Published

Oct 31, 2023

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

5 pkgs

Patched

5 / 5

Exploits

1 known

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

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-2023-3676.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

13.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs96th percentile — riskier than 96% 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

5 pkgs affected

🐹k8s.io/kubernetes🐹k8s.io/kubernetes🐹k8s.io/kubernetes🐹k8s.io/kubernetes🐹k8s.io/kubernetes

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

A security issue was discovered in Kubernetes where a user that can create pods on Windows nodes may be able to escalate to admin privileges on those nodes. Kubernetes clusters are only affected if they include Windows nodes.

Affected Packages

5 total 5 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`k8s.io/kubernetes`	≥ 1.28.0&&< 1.28.1	1.28.1`go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.28.1`
🐹Go	`k8s.io/kubernetes`	≥ 1.27.0&&< 1.27.5	1.27.5`go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.27.5`
🐹Go	`k8s.io/kubernetes`	≥ 1.26.0&&< 1.26.8	1.26.8`go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.26.8`
🐹Go	`k8s.io/kubernetes`	≥ 1.25.0&&< 1.25.13	1.25.13`go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.25.13`
🐹Go	`k8s.io/kubernetes`	all versions	1.24.17`go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.24.17`

Affected Products

1 product · 5 configurations

Application

kuberneteskubernetes

≥ 1.28.0 && < 1.28.1

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

A security issue was discovered in Kubernetes where a user that can cre…

github.comNVDNov 2023

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for k8s.io/kubernetes, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.28.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-3676 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.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatImportant

Kubernetes clusters are only affected if they include Windows nodes. Any Kubernetes environment with Windows nodes is impacted. Run kubectl get nodes -l kubernetes.io/os=windows to see if any Windows nodes are in use.

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.10	`openshift4-wincw/windows-machine-config-rhel8-operator:5.1.2-3`	RHSA-2023:4835
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.11	`openshift4-wincw/windows-machine-config-rhel8-operator:6.0.2-5`	RHSA-2023:4780
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12	`openshift4-wincw/windows-machine-config-rhel8-operator:7.1.1-9`	RHSA-2023:4777
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.13	`openshift4-wincw/windows-machine-config-rhel9-operator:8.0.2-9`	RHSA-2023:4885
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.14	`openshift4-wincw/windows-machine-config-operator-bundle:v9.0.0-104`	RHSA-2023:7515

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2023-3676 in your dependencies?

Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

8.8/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE Classification

CWE-20Improper Input Validation

Weaponization

No Nuclei template or Metasploit module yet. 1 public proof-of-concept reference is listed on this page.

OpenSSF Scorecard

Package health score

kubernetes

7.6/10

Code-Review10/10

Maintained10/10

Branch-ProtectionN/A

Assessed Oct 19, 2026

Timeline

Disclosed

Oct 31, 2023

First exploit

Nov 8, 2023

Last updated

Oct 28, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2023-3676

GHSA-7fxm-f474-hf8w

GO-2023-2330

References

Advisorygithub.com · CVE 2023 3676.json Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2023 3676 Advisorysecurity.netapp.com · ntap 20231130 0007 Reportgithub.com Articlegroups.google.com · d fvHZ9a5zc Webgithub.com Webgithub.com Webgithub.com Webgithub.com Webgithub.com Webgithub.com Webgithub.com · 073f9ea33a93ddaecdc2e829150fb715f6387399 Webgithub.com · 39cc101c7855341c651a943b9836b50fbace8a6b Webgithub.com · 74b617310c24ca84c2ec90c3858af745d65b5226 Webgithub.com · 890483394221c8f22e88c48f86cd4eaf4de65fd6 Webgithub.com · a53faf5e17ed0b0771a605c6401ba4cbf297b59a Websecurity.netapp.com · ntap 20231130 0007 Packagegithub.com · kubernetes

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is high severity; 2 of 8 other CVEs affecting kubernetes are rated as high or higher (top: high).

CVE-2025-13281CVE-2025-5187CVE-2025-4563CVE-2025-1767CVE-2024-9042CVE-2025-0426CVE-2024-10220CVE-2024-0793

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedOct 28, 2026

CVE-2023-3676 — kubernetes

Exploitation Status

Proof-of-concept exploit code exists

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

Description

Affected Packages

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

Fixing This On Your OS

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2023-3676 in your dependencies?