Sysctls applied to containers with host IPC or host network namespaces can affect the hostGHSA-w2j5-3rcx-vx7x
GHSA-w2j5-3rcx-vx7x is a security vulnerability in github.com/cri-o/cri-o. A fix is available for github.com/cri-o/cri-o — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/cri-o/cri-o🐹github.com/cri-o/cri-o🐹github.com/cri-o/cri-o🐹github.com/cri-o/cri-o🐹github.com/cri-o/cri-oReal-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
Before setting the sysctls for a pod, the pods namespaces must be unshared (created). However, in cases where the pod is using a host network or IPC namespace, a bug in CRI-O caused the namespace creating tool pinns to configure the sysctls of the host. This allows a malicious user to set sysctls on the host, assuming they have access to hostNetwork and hostIPC.
Any CRI-O cluster after CRI-O 1.18 that drops the infra container 1.22 and 1.23 clusters drop infra container by default, and are thus vulnerable by default.
Patches
CRI-O versions 1.24.0, 1.23.1, 1.22.2, 1.21.5, 1.20.6, 1.19.5 all have the patches.
Workarounds
Users can set manage_ns_lifecycle to false, which causes the sysctls to be configured by the OCI runtime, which typically filter these cases. This option is available in 1.20 and 1.19. Newer versions don't have this option.
An admission webhook could also be created to deny pods that use host IPC or network namespaces and also attempt to configure sysctls related to that namespace.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in the CRI-O repo
- To make a report, email your vulnerability to the private [email protected] list with the security details and the details expected for all CRI-O bug reports.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/cri-o/cri-o | ≥ 1.23.0&&< 1.23.1 | 1.23.1go get github.com/cri-o/cri-o@v1.23.1 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/cri-o/cri-o | ≥ 1.22.0&&< 1.22.2 | 1.22.2go get github.com/cri-o/cri-o@v1.22.2 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/cri-o/cri-o | ≥ 1.21.0&&< 1.21.5 | 1.21.5go get github.com/cri-o/cri-o@v1.21.5 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/cri-o/cri-o | ≥ 1.20.0&&< 1.20.6 | 1.20.6go get github.com/cri-o/cri-o@v1.20.6 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/cri-o/cri-o | ≥ 1.18.0&&< 1.19.5 | 1.19.5go get github.com/cri-o/cri-o@v1.19.5 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/cri-o/cri-o, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/cri-o/cri-o to 1.23.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-w2j5-3rcx-vx7x 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-w2j5-3rcx-vx7x in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.