CVE-2023-29194 | vitess allows users to create keyspaces that can deny access to already existing keyspaces

Vitess is a database clustering system for horizontal scaling of MySQL. Users can either intentionally or inadvertently create a keyspace containing `/` characters such that from that point on, anyone who tries to view keyspaces from VTAdmin will receive an error. Trying to list all the keyspaces using `vtctldclient GetKeyspaces` will also return an error. Note that all other keyspaces can still be administered using the CLI (vtctldclient). This issue is fixed in version 16.0.1. As a workaround, delete the offending keyspace using a CLI client (vtctldclient).

Published: 2023-04-14 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-29194 is rated Low Risk (34.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.78%). Mandatory action: 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-2023-29194

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 2026-06-15 0.47% 0.78% +0.31%
2 2026-04-26 0.65% 0.47% -0.18%
3 2026-04-16 0.65%

Full EPSS history (10 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-29194

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
4.1 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
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:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
2.3 1.4 [email protected]
2.7 3.1 LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
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:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
1.2 1.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-29194

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-29194

GHSA-735r-hv67-g38f · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: go — vitess allows users to create keyspaces that can deny access to already existing keyspaces

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-29194

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
linuxfoundation vitess < 16.0.1 cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:vitess:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-29194

cvelogic Threat Intelligence