Ironic Standalone Operator's controller modifies user-owned resources without consentGHSA-hfc8-w5f4-3x6m
MEDIUMFix: metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator#619GHSA-hfc8-w5f4-3x6m is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.3) vulnerability in github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator. A fix is available for github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator🐹github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operatorReal-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
The Ironic Standalone Operator (IRSO) is the operator to maintain an Ironic deployment for Metal3. IRSO controller automatically adds its environment label to user-provided Secrets and ConfigMaps without the resource owner's consent. A high-privilege controller modifying user-owned resources constitutes an unauthorized integrity violation. Deployments running IrSO v0.7.0 through v0.8.1 that reference user-provided Secrets or ConfigMaps (TLS certificates, BMC CA, trusted CA) are affected.
Patches
Fixed in v0.9.0, v0.8.2, v0.7.3.
Workarounds
Manually add the environment label (ironic-standalone-operator.metal3.io/environment) to all user-provided Secrets and ConfigMaps before they are referenced in the Ironic resource. This prevents the controller from modifying them.
Resources
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator | all versions | 0.7.3go get github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator@v0.7.3 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator | ≥ 0.8.0&&< 0.8.2 | 0.8.2go get github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator@v0.8.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/metal3-io/ironic-standalone-operator to 0.7.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-hfc8-w5f4-3x6m 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 GHSA-hfc8-w5f4-3x6m in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.