CVE-2023-28114 | `cilium-cli` disables etcd authorization for clustermesh clusters

`cilium-cli` is the command line interface to install, manage, and troubleshoot Kubernetes clusters running Cilium. Prior to version 0.13.2,`cilium-cli`, when used to configure cluster mesh functionality, can remove the enforcement of user permissions on the `etcd` store used to mirror local cluster information to remote clusters. Users who have set up cluster meshes using the Cilium Helm chart are not affected by this issue. Due to an incorrect mount point specification, the settings specified by the `initContainer` that configures `etcd` users and their permissions are overwritten when using `cilium-cli` to configure a cluster mesh. An attacker who has already gained access to a valid key and certificate for an `etcd` cluster compromised in this manner could then modify state in that `etcd` cluster. This issue is patched in `cilium-cli` 0.13.2. As a workaround, one may use Cilium's Helm charts to create their cluster.

Published: 2023-03-22 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-28114 is rated Low Risk (23/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.04%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-28114

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-16 0.11% 0.04% -0.07%
2 2026-03-23 0.04% 0.11% +0.06%
3 2023-03-23 — 0.04% —

Full EPSS history (3 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-28114

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
4.8 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:A)
Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:L)
Some sensitive info could get out, but not a total data dump.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 1.7 2.7 [email protected]
4.1 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:A)
Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:L)
Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 2.3 1.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-28114

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-28114

GHSA-6f27-3p6c-p5jc · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: go — `cilium-cli` disables etcd authorization for clustermesh clusters

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-28114

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
cilium cilium-cli < 0.13.2 cpe:2.3:a:cilium:cilium-cli:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-28114

cvelogic Threat Intelligence