CVE-2024-22036
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Rancher allows attackers to escape the chroot jail and gain root access to the Rancher container. In production environments, this can lead to further privilege escalation within the container, while in test/development environments with privileged Docker containers, attackers can escape to the host system. Affected users are those running Rancher versions 2.7.0-2.7.15, 2.8.0-2.8.8, or 2.9.0-2.9.2.
💻 Affected Systems
- Rancher
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full compromise of the Rancher container with root access, potential escape to the host system in privileged Docker environments, and complete control over Kubernetes clusters managed by Rancher.
Likely Case
Root access to the Rancher container allowing attackers to manipulate cluster configurations, steal credentials, and deploy malicious workloads across managed Kubernetes clusters.
If Mitigated
Limited to container compromise without host escape if proper container security controls are implemented and privileged containers are avoided.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires access to create or modify cluster/node drivers, which typically requires some level of authenticated access to Rancher.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.7.16, 2.8.9, or 2.9.3
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/rancher/rancher/security/advisories/GHSA-h99m-6755-rgwc
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup Rancher configuration and data. 2. Upgrade to Rancher 2.7.16, 2.8.9, or 2.9.3 using the standard upgrade procedure. 3. Verify the upgrade completed successfully. 4. Restart Rancher services if not done automatically.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Cluster/Node Driver Creation
allLimit permissions to create or modify cluster and node drivers to only trusted administrators.
Avoid Privileged Containers
linuxEnsure Rancher is not deployed with --privileged flag in Docker environments.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate Rancher deployment to a dedicated network segment with strict access controls.
- Implement network segmentation between Rancher and production Kubernetes clusters to limit lateral movement.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Rancher version via UI (Settings -> About) or API. Versions 2.7.0-2.7.15, 2.8.0-2.8.8, or 2.9.0-2.9.2 are vulnerable.Check Version:
kubectl get pods -n cattle-system -l app=rancher -o jsonpath='{.items[0].spec.containers[0].image}' | grep -o 'rancher/rancher:[^ ]*'Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm Rancher version is 2.7.16, 2.8.9, or 2.9.3 or higher.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual cluster or node driver creation/modification events
- Unexpected privilege escalation attempts within Rancher container logs
- Suspicious process execution from chroot environments
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Rancher container to external systems
- Suspicious traffic between Rancher and managed clusters
SIEM Query:
source="rancher" AND (event="cluster_driver_create" OR event="node_driver_create") AND user NOT IN ["admin_users"]