GHSA-h5f8-crrq-4pw8 — contrast
HIGHGHSA-h5f8-crrq-4pw8 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.3) vulnerability in github.com/edgelesssys/contrast. A fix is available for github.com/edgelesssys/contrast — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Contrast workload secrets leak to logs on INFO level
Real-World Exposure
github.com/edgelesssys/contrastReal-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
When the Contrast initializer is configured with a CONTRAST_LOG_LEVEL of info or debug, the workload secret is logged to stderr and written to Kubernetes logs.
Since info is the default setting, this affects all Contrast installations that don't customize their initializers' log level.
The following audiences are intended to have access to workload secrets (see https://docs.edgeless.systems/contrast/1.7/architecture/secrets#workload-secrets):
- Contrast Coordinator (can derive all workload secrets)
- Contrast Initializer (obtains only the secret configured in the manifest)
- Seedshare owner (can derive all workload secrets)
- Workload owner (can update manifests to obtain secrets)
This vulnerability allows the following parties unintended access to workload secrets issued by a Coordinator:
- Kubernetes users with
getorlistpermission onpods/logs. - Others with read access to the Kubernetes log storage (most notably, the cloud provider).
This vulnerability does not affect scenarios where workload secrets are not used by the application (directly or with secure persistence). Applications designed for workload owner exclusion can't use workload secrets and are thus unaffected.
Patches
N/A
Workarounds
This vulnerability can be mitigated by adding an environment variable CONTRAST_LOG_LEVEL=warn to the initializer after running contrast generate, and then running contrast generate again.
References
N/A
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/edgelesssys/contrast | all versions | 1.8.1go get github.com/edgelesssys/contrast@v1.8.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/edgelesssys/contrast, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/edgelesssys/contrast to 1.8.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-h5f8-crrq-4pw8 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-h5f8-crrq-4pw8 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-h5f8-crrq-4pw8. 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-h5f8-crrq-4pw8 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-h5f8-crrq-4pw8 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.