Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2023-5214: Puppet Bolt privilege escalation vulnerability
In Puppet Bolt versions prior to 3.27.4, a path to escalate privileges was identified.
CVSS 6.5 Medium EPSS 0.4% · p38
Should you act?
Normal patch cycle
No exploitation signal; fix it in your next routine update if you are affected. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
- EPSS 0.4%, percentile 38: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.4% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 38% of all scored CVEs (low). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs an account (low (any account)). Exposure depends on who can log in.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
bolt(RubyGems) < 3.27.4, fixed in 3.27.4. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
In Puppet Bolt versions prior to 3.27.4, a path to escalate privileges was identified.
From the GitHub advisory
In Puppet Bolt versions prior to 3.27.4, a path to escalate privileges was identified.
Weakness type: CWE-269.
Product: bolt (RubyGems) · Assigned by: puppet · Published: 2023-10-06
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| RubyGems | bolt | < 3.27.4 | 3.27.4 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Puppet | Bolt | prior to 3.27.4 <= 3.27.4 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| puppet | 3.1 | 6.5 Medium | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: adjacent network only
- Attack complexity: high (needs special conditions)
- Privileges required: low (any account)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: changed (can affect other components)
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact partial.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.45% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 38.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by puppet
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-289m-2964-f8q5 published (critical)
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-289m-2964-f8q5 github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2023-5214 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2023-5214 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- puppet.com puppet.com
- puppet.com puppet.com
- github.com github.com