---
title: "CVE-2023-5214: Puppet Bolt privilege escalation vulnerability"
url: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2023-5214/
description: "CVE-2023-5214 (bolt (RubyGems)): In Puppet Bolt versions prior to 3.27.4, a path to escalate privileges was identified."
type: vulnerability-record
section: "Security Digest"
date_published: 2023-10-06
date_modified: 2024-09-19
publisher: erroneo.us
author: erroneo.us Security Desk
cve: "CVE-2023-5214"
kev: false
cvss: 6.5
epss: 0.00447
license: All rights reserved. Quote with attribution and a link.
---

# CVE-2023-5214: Puppet Bolt privilege escalation vulnerability

**Signal:** Normal patch cycle. No exploitation signal; fix it in your next routine update if you are affected. (Computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS; not an editorial verdict.)

## Should you act?

- 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.

## Affected packages

- RubyGems `bolt` < 3.27.4 → fixed: 3.27.4

## Affected products (CVE record)

- Puppet Bolt: prior to 3.27.4 <= 3.27.4

## Severity

- puppet CVSS 3.1: 6.5 `CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N`
- GitHub CVSS 3.1: 9.8 `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`

## Exploitation

- 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.

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory GHSA-289m-2964-f8q5](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-289m-2964-f8q5)
- [CVE.org record CVE-2023-5214](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5214)
- [NVD entry CVE-2023-5214](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5214)
- [puppet.com](https://www.puppet.com/security/cve/cve-2023-5214-privilege-escalation-puppet-bolt)
- [puppet.com](https://www.puppet.com/security/cve/cve-2023-5255-denial-service-revocation-auto-renewed-certificates)
- [github.com](https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/bolt/CVE-2023-5214.yml)

---
Source page: https://erroneo.us/security/cve/CVE-2023-5214/ · Security Digest: https://erroneo.us/security/ · More: https://erroneo.us/llms.txt