Azure/setup-kubectl is a GitHub Action for installing Kubectl. This vulnerability only impacts versions before version 3. An insecure temporary creation of a file allows other actors on the Actions runner to replace the Kubectl binary created by this action because it is world writable. This Kubectl tool installer runs fs.chmodSync(kubectlPath, 777) to set permissions on the Kubectl binary, however, this allows any local user to replace the Kubectl binary. This allows privilege escalation to the user that can also run kubectl, most likely root. This attack is only possible if an attacker somehow breached the GitHub actions runner or if a user is utilizing an Action that maliciously executes this attack. This has been fixed and released in all versions v3 and later. 775 permissions are used instead. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this issue.
CVE-2023-23939
This low-severity CVE scores 3.9 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 0.4%, top 71% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- Lower severity and no public exploit yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 3.9
- EG Score
- 3.9(medium)
- EG Risk
- 18(Track)EG Risk 18/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity39% × 45%Exploitation0% × 40%Automatability0% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS
- 28.7%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
March 6, 2023
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (4)
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/Azure/setup-kubectl/commit/d449d75495d2b9d1463555bb00ca3dca77a42ab6
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/Azure/setup-kubectl/security/advisories/GHSA-p756-rfxh-x63h
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/Azure/setup-kubectl/commit/d449d75495d2b9d1463555bb00ca3dca77a42ab6
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/Azure/setup-kubectl/security/advisories/GHSA-p756-rfxh-x63h
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 13× in last 7d / 48× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
Showing the most recent 100 of 109 total refreshes for this CVE.
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Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2023-23939?
When was CVE-2023-23939 disclosed?
Is CVE-2023-23939 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-23939?
How do I remediate CVE-2023-23939?
Dependency Blast Radius
Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2023-23939
Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2023-23939?
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