GHSA-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 is a low-severity (CVSS 3.3) CWE-189 vulnerability in github.com/cilium/ebpf. A fix is available for github.com/cilium/ebpf — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 382,205 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
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 | 0.22.0go get github.com/cilium/ebpf@v0.22.0 |
Affected Products
ebpfciliumDetection & 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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
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
Constrain what reaches the vulnerable code: limit the size and shape of untrusted input, isolate the affected component in a sandboxed or least-privileged process, and enable the platform's memory-safety mitigations (ASLR, stack protector, hardened allocator) so an out-of-bounds access is more likely to fail closed than to be exploitable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-xhgw-qwwf-pg32 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.