highVulnerability

GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8

### Impact _What kind of vulnerability is it? Who is impacted?_ A user granted READ permission on a single, exact key can use the Watch gRPC API with `clientv3.WithFromKey()` (an open-ended, "from this key to the end of the keyspace" watch) to receive watch events for every key lexicographically greater than or equal to their permitted key — not just the one key they were granted. This is an authorization bypass in etcd's RBAC enforcement for the Watch API; Range/Get and DeleteRange requests are not affected. It only affects clusters with authentication enabled — clusters running without auth already allow unrestricted read access. ### Patches _Has the problem been patched? What versions should users upgrade to?_ This vulnerability is patched in the following versions: - etcd 3.7.1 - etcd 3.6.14 - etcd 3.5.33 ### Workarounds _Is there a way for users to fix or remediate the vulnerability without upgrading?_ If upgrading is not immediately possible, the following mitigations reduce exposure: - Audit READ grants. Any READ grant — even on one key — can be leveraged via Watch to read everything after it. Review who holds READ permissions and revoke/tighten any you wouldn't trust with full read access. - Restrict network access. Limit which hosts can reach etcd's client (gRPC) port via firewall rules or network policy, reducing who can attempt exploitation. ### Reporter - Luis Toro ([@lobuhi](https://github.com/lobuhi) on Github) - Anthropic and Adam Korczynski ([@AdamKorcz](https://github.com/AdamKorcz) on Github)

Properties

ghsa_id
GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8
severity
high
summary
etcd: Watch API authorization bypass via open-ended range requests
cve_id
GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8
is_ghsa_only
true
ghsa_published
2026-07-24T22:38:22Z
source_url
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8
ghsa_updated
2026-07-24T22:38:25Z

Related Entities (4)

VULNERABLE_TO (1)

[Software]go/go.etcd.io/etcd/v3

AFFECTS (1)

[Software]go/go.etcd.io/etcd/v3

HAS_WEAKNESS (1)

[Weakness]Incorrect Authorization

REPORTED_BY (1)

[Source]GitHub Advisory Database

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GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8 — Ninja Signal Threat Intelligence | Ninja Signal