GHSA-pj4x-2xr5-w87m
HIGHPossible image tampering from missing image validation for Packages
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/crossplane/crossplane🐹github.com/crossplane/crossplaneReal-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
Crossplanes image backend does not validate the byte contents of Crossplane packages. As such, Crossplane does not detect if an attacker has tampered with a Package.
Patches
The problem has been fixed in 1.11.5, 1.12.3 and 1.13.0, all the supported versions of Crossplane at the time of writing.
Workarounds
Only using images from trusted sources and keeping Package editing/creating privileges to administrators only, which should be both considered already best practices.
References
See ADA-XP-23-11 in the Security Audit's report.
Credits
This was reported as ADA-XP-23-11 by @AdamKorcz and @DavidKorczynski from Ada Logic and facilitated by OSTIF as part of the Security Audit sponsored by CNCF.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/crossplane/crossplane | all versions | 1.11.5 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/crossplane/crossplane | ≥ 1.12.0&&< 1.12.3 | 1.12.3 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/crossplane/crossplane. 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/crossplane/crossplane to 1.11.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-pj4x-2xr5-w87m 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-pj4x-2xr5-w87m 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-pj4x-2xr5-w87m. 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-pj4x-2xr5-w87m in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-pj4x-2xr5-w87m across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.