GHSA-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 is a low-severity (CVSS 3.3) CWE-189 vulnerability in github.com/cilium/ebpf. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
ebpf-go is vulnerable to integer overflow via LoadCollectionSpecFromReader
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-xhgw-qwwf-pg32.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/cilium/ebpfReal-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
A vulnerability has been found in cilium ebpf up to 0.21.0. This affects the function loadRawSpec of the file btf/btf.go of the component LoadCollectionSpec/LoadCollectionSpecFromReader. Such manipulation of the argument offset leads to integer overflow. The attack can only be performed from a local environment. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The name of the patch is 533dfc82fd228bfadf42ea7180c39de7d9af47fa. A patch should be applied to remediate this issue.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/cilium/ebpf | all versions | 0.22.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/cilium/ebpf. 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/cilium/ebpf to 0.22.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 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-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 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-xhgw-qwwf-pg32. 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-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.