CVE-2023-43633 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-522 vulnerability in github.com/lf-edge/eve. A fix is available for github.com/lf-edge/eve — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Debug Functions Unlockable Without Triggering Measured Boot
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-43633.
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/lf-edge/eveReal-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
On boot, the Pillar eve container checks for the existence and content of “/config/GlobalConfig/global.json”.
If the file exists, it overrides the existing configuration on the device on boot.
This allows an attacker to change the system’s configuration, which also includes some debug functions.
This could be used to unlock the ssh with custom “authorized_keys” via the “debug.enable.ssh” key, similar to the “authorized_keys” finding that was noted before.
Other usages include unlocking the usb to enable the keyboard via the “debug.enable.usb” key, allowing VNC access via the “app.allow.vnc” key, and more.
An attacker could easily enable these debug functionalities without triggering the “measured boot” mechanism implemented by EVE OS, and without marking the device as “UUD” (“Unknown Update Detected”). This is because the “/config” partition is not protected by “measured boot”, it is mutable and it is not encrypted in any way.
An attacker can gain full control over the device without changing the PCR values, thereby not triggering the “measured boot” mechanism, and having full access to the vault.
Note:
This issue was partially fixed in these commits (after disclosure to Zededa), where the config partition measurement was added to PCR13:
• aa3501d6c57206ced222c33aea15a9169d629141
• 5fef4d92e75838cc78010edaed5247dfbdae1889.
This issue was made viable in version 9.0.0 when the calculation was moved to PCR14 but it was not included in the measured boot.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/lf-edge/eve | all versions | 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758go get github.com/lf-edge/eve@v0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758 |
Affected Products
evelfedgeDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/lf-edge/eve, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/lf-edge/eve to 0.0.0-20220708121648-5fef4d92e758 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-43633 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
Is CVE-2023-43633 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.