GHSA-rfx7-8w68-q57q
NONEetcd: Nested etcd transactions bypass RBAC authorization checks
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
go.etcd.io/etcd/v3🐹go.etcd.io/etcd/v3🐹go.etcd.io/etcd/v3🐹go.etcd.io/etcdReal-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
What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?
An authenticated user with RBAC restricted permissions on key ranges can use nested transactions to bypass all key-level authorization. This allows any authenticated user with direct access to etcd to effectively ignore all key range restrictions, accessing the entire etcd data store.
Kubernetes does not rely on etcd’s built-in authentication and authorization. Instead, the API server handles authentication and authorization itself, so typical Kubernetes deployments are not affected.
Patches
Has the problem been patched? What versions should users upgrade to?
This vulnerability is patched in the following versions:
- etcd 3.6.9
- etcd 3.5.28
- etcd 3.4.42
Workarounds
Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?
If upgrading is not immediately possible, reduce exposure by treating the affected RPCs as unauthenticated in practice.
- restrict network access to etcd server ports so only trusted components can connect
- require strong client identity at the transport layer, such as mTLS with tightly scoped client certificate distribution
Reporters
Our community helps keep etcd secure
SIG-Etcd thanks community members Luke Francis and Battulga Byambaa for reporting this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 | ≥ 3.6.0-alpha.0&&< 3.6.9 | 3.6.9 |
| 🐹Go | go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 | ≥ 3.5.0-alpha.0&&< 3.5.28 | 3.5.28 |
| 🐹Go | go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 | all versions | 3.4.42 |
| 🐹Go | go.etcd.io/etcd | all versions | No fix |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for go.etcd.io/etcd/v3. 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 go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 to 3.6.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-rfx7-8w68-q57q 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-rfx7-8w68-q57q 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-rfx7-8w68-q57q. 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-rfx7-8w68-q57q in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-rfx7-8w68-q57q across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.