GHSA-gvh9-xgrq-r8hw
HIGHRancher's Steve API Component Improper authorization check allows privilege escalation
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/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 flaw discovered in Rancher versions from 2.5.0 up to and including 2.5.9 allows an authenticated user to impersonate any user on a cluster through the Steve API proxy, without requiring knowledge of the impersonated user's credentials. This is due to the Steve API proxy not dropping the impersonation header before sending the request to the Kubernetes API. A malicious user with authenticated access to Rancher could use this to impersonate another user with administrator access in Rancher, receiving, then, administrator level access in the cluster.
Patches
Patched versions include releases 2.5.10, 2.6.0 and later versions.
Workarounds
Limit access in Rancher to trusted users. There is not a direct mitigation besides upgrading to the patched Rancher versions.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Reach out to SUSE Rancher Security team for security related inquiries.
- Open an issue in Rancher repository.
- Verify our support matrix and product support lifecycle.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/rancher/rancher | ≥ 2.5.0&&< 2.5.10 | 2.5.10 |
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 2.5.10 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-gvh9-xgrq-r8hw 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-gvh9-xgrq-r8hw 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-gvh9-xgrq-r8hw. 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-gvh9-xgrq-r8hw in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-gvh9-xgrq-r8hw across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.