GHSA-5qmp-9x47-92q8
MEDIUMRancher's SAML-based login via CLI can be denied by unauthenticated users
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.
Blast Radius
github.com/rancher/rancher🐹github.com/rancher/rancher🐹github.com/rancher/rancherReal-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
A vulnerability has been identified within Rancher where it is possible for an unauthenticated user to list all CLI authentication tokens and delete them before the CLI is able to get the token value. This effectively prevents users from logging in via the CLI when using rancher token as the execution command (instead of the token directly being in the kubeconfig).
Note that this token is not the kubeconfig token and if an attacker is able to intercept it they can't use it to impersonate a real user since it is encrypted.
This happens because for SAML-based authentication providers, the login flow from the CLI works by generating a link to be pasted in the browser, and then polling every 10 seconds for the /v3-public/authTokens/<token name> endpoint. The <token name> is randomly generated by the CLI. Once the login flow succeeds, Rancher creates an auth token (with an encrypted token value). The CLI then deletes the authToken.
Rancher deployments using only the local authentication provider, or non-SAML-based authentication providers, are not impacted by this vulnerability. SAML-based users not using the CLI are also not impacted.
Please consult the associated MITRE ATT&CK - Technique - Account Access Removal for further information about this category of attack.
Patches
The fix involves removing GET and DELETE methods for the authTokens collection.
Patched versions include releases v2.8.13, v2.9.7 and v2.10.3.
Workarounds
Users can refrain from using the Rancher CLI to log in as a workaround. Otherwise, users are advised to upgrade to a patched version of Rancher Manager.
References
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Reach out to the SUSE Rancher Security team for security related inquiries.
- Open an issue in the Rancher repository.
- Verify with our support matrix and product support lifecycle.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/rancher/rancher | ≥ 2.8.0&&< 2.8.13 | 2.8.13 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/rancher/rancher | ≥ 2.9.0&&< 2.9.7 | 2.9.7 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/rancher/rancher | ≥ 2.10.0&&< 2.10.3 | 2.10.3 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/rancher/rancher. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update github.com/rancher/rancher to 2.8.13 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-5qmp-9x47-92q8 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 pinpoints whether GHSA-5qmp-9x47-92q8 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-5qmp-9x47-92q8. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-5qmp-9x47-92q8 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-5qmp-9x47-92q8 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.