CVE-2023-24827: syft is a a CLI tool and Go library for generating a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) from container images and filesystems. A password disclosure fl...

Description

syft is a a CLI tool and Go library for generating a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) from container images and filesystems. A password disclosure flaw was found in Syft versions v0.69.0 and v0.69.1. This flaw leaks the password stored in the SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD environment variable. The `SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD` environment variable is for the `syft attest` command to generate attested SBOMs for the given container image. This environment variable is used to decrypt the private key (provided with `syft attest --key <path-to-key-file>`) during the signing process while generating an SBOM attestation. This vulnerability affects users running syft that have the `SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD` environment variable set with credentials (regardless of if the attest command is being used or not). Users that do not have the environment variable `SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD` set are not affected by this issue. The credentials are leaked in two ways: in the syft logs when `-vv` or `-vvv` are used in the syft command (which is any log level >= `DEBUG`) and in the attestation or SBOM only when the `syft-json` format is used. Note that as of v0.69.0 any generated attestations by the `syft attest` command are uploaded to the OCI registry (if you have write access to that registry) in the same way `cosign attach` is done. This means that any attestations generated for the affected versions of syft when the `SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD` environment variable was set would leak credentials in the attestation payload uploaded to the OCI registry. This issue has been patched in commit `9995950c70` and has been released as v0.70.0. There are no workarounds for this vulnerability. Users are advised to upgrade.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS Probability

0.79%

51.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Anchore	Syft	0.69.0
Anchore	Syft	0.69.1

References

https://github.com/anchore/syft/commit/9995950c70e849f9921919faffbfcf46401f71f3Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/anchore/syft/security/advisories/GHSA-jp7v-3587-2956Exploit, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/anchore/syft/commit/9995950c70e849f9921919faffbfcf46401f71f3Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/anchore/syft/security/advisories/GHSA-jp7v-3587-2956Exploit, Vendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Feb 7, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-24827?

syft is a a CLI tool and Go library for generating a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) from container images and filesystems. A password disclosure flaw was found in Syft versions v0.69.0 and v0.69.1. This flaw leaks the password stored in the SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD environment variable. The `SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD` environment variable is for the `syft attest` command to generate attested SBOMs for the given container image. This environment variable is used to decrypt the private key (provided with `syft attest --key <path-to-key-file>`) during the signing process while generating an SBOM attestation. This vulnerability affects users running syft that have the `SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD` environment variable set with credentials (regardless of if the attest command is being used or not). Users that do not have the environment variable `SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD` set are not affected by this issue. The credentials are leaked in two ways: in the syft logs when `-vv` or `-vvv` are used in the syft command (which is any log level >= `DEBUG`) and in the attestation or SBOM only when the `syft-json` format is used. Note that as of v0.69.0 any generated attestations by the `syft attest` command are uploaded to the OCI registry (if you have write access to that registry) in the same way `cosign attach` is done. This means that any attestations generated for the affected versions of syft when the `SYFT_ATTEST_PASSWORD` environment variable was set would leak credentials in the attestation payload uploaded to the OCI registry. This issue has been patched in commit `9995950c70` and has been released as v0.70.0. There are no workarounds for this vulnerability. Users are advised to upgrade.

How severe is CVE-2023-24827?

CVE-2023-24827 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.79% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-24827?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.