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CVE-2023-29193

SpiceDB binding metrics port to untrusted networks and can leak command-line flags

8.7 HighFix available

SpiceDB is an open source, Google Zanzibar-inspired, database system for creating and managing security-critical application permissions. The spicedb serve command contains a flag named --grpc-preshared-key which is used to protect the gRPC API from being accessed by unauthorized requests. The values of this flag are to be considered sensitive, secret data. The /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint served by the metrics service (defaulting running on port 9090) reveals the command-line flags provided for debugging purposes. If a password is set via the --grpc-preshared-key then the key is revealed by this endpoint along with any other flags provided to the SpiceDB binary. This issue has been fixed in version 1.19.1.

Impact

All deployments abiding by the recommended best practices for production usage are NOT affected:

  • Authzed's SpiceDB Serverless
  • Authzed's SpiceDB Dedicated
  • SpiceDB Operator

Users configuring SpiceDB via environment variables are NOT affected.

Users MAY be affected if they expose their metrics port to an untrusted network and are configuring --grpc-preshared-key via command-line flag.

Patches

TODO

Workarounds

To workaround this issue you can do one of the following:

  • Configure the preshared key via an environment variable (e.g. SPICEDB_GRPC_PRESHARED_KEY=yoursecret spicedb serve)
  • Reconfigure the --metrics-addr flag to bind to a trusted network (e.g. --metrics-addr=localhost:9090)
  • Disable the metrics service via the flag (e.g. --metrics-enabled=false)
  • Adopt one of the recommended deployment models: Authzed's managed services or the SpiceDB Operator

References

Credit

We'd like to thank Amit Laish, a security researcher at GE Vernova for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Adjacent network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
Low
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

0.76%Up 0.7 points since Apr 15, 2023
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 8.7

SpiceDB binding metrics port to untrusted networks and can leak command-line flags

SpiceDB is an open source, Google Zanzibar-inspired, database system for creating and managing security-critical application permissions. The spicedb serve command contains a flag named --grpc-preshared-key which is used to protect the gRPC API from being accessed by unauthorized requests. The values of this flag are to be considered sensitive, secret data. The /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint served by the metrics service (defaulting running on port 9090) reveals the command-line flags provided for debugging purposes. If a password is set via the --grpc-preshared-key then the key is revealed by this endpoint along with any other flags provided to the SpiceDB binary. This issue has been fixed in version 1.19.1.

Impact

All deployments abiding by the recommended best practices for production usage are NOT affected:

  • Authzed's SpiceDB Serverless
  • Authzed's SpiceDB Dedicated
  • SpiceDB Operator

Users configuring SpiceDB via environment variables are NOT affected.

Users MAY be affected if they expose their metrics port to an untrusted network and are configuring --grpc-preshared-key via command-line flag.

Patches

TODO

Workarounds

To workaround this issue you can do one of the following:

  • Configure the preshared key via an environment variable (e.g. SPICEDB_GRPC_PRESHARED_KEY=yoursecret spicedb serve)
  • Reconfigure the --metrics-addr flag to bind to a trusted network (e.g. --metrics-addr=localhost:9090)
  • Disable the metrics service via the flag (e.g. --metrics-enabled=false)
  • Adopt one of the recommended deployment models: Authzed's managed services or the SpiceDB Operator

References

Credit

We'd like to thank Amit Laish, a security researcher at GE Vernova for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability.

Record
CVE-2023-29193
CVSS 3.1
8.7 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-209
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-1271 8.7

SpiceDB is an open source, Google Zanzibar-inspired, database system for creating and managing security-critical application permissions. The spicedb serve command contains a flag named --grpc-preshared-key which is used to protect the gRPC API from being accessed by unauthorized requests. The values of this flag are to be considered sensitive, secret data. The /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint served by the metrics service (defaulting running on port 9090) reveals the command-line flags provided for debugging purposes. If a password is set via the --grpc-preshared-key then the key is revealed by this endpoint along with any other flags provided to the SpiceDB binary. This issue has been fixed in version 1.19.1.

Impact

All deployments abiding by the recommended best practices for production usage are NOT affected:

  • Authzed's SpiceDB Serverless
  • Authzed's SpiceDB Dedicated
  • SpiceDB Operator

Users configuring SpiceDB via environment variables are NOT affected.

Users MAY be affected if they expose their metrics port to an untrusted network and are configuring --grpc-preshared-key via command-line flag.

Patches

TODO

Workarounds

To workaround this issue you can do one of the following:

  • Configure the preshared key via an environment variable (e.g. SPICEDB_GRPC_PRESHARED_KEY=yoursecret spicedb serve)
  • Reconfigure the --metrics-addr flag to bind to a trusted network (e.g. --metrics-addr=localhost:9090)
  • Disable the metrics service via the flag (e.g. --metrics-enabled=false)
  • Adopt one of the recommended deployment models: Authzed's managed services or the SpiceDB Operator

References

Credit

We'd like to thank Amit Laish, a security researcher at GE Vernova for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability.

Record
EUVD-2023-1271
CVSS 3.1
8.7 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6 8.1

SpiceDB binding metrics port to untrusted networks and can leak command-line flags

Background

The spicedb serve command contains a flag named --grpc-preshared-key which is used to protect the gRPC API from being accessed by unauthorized requests. The values of this flag are to be considered sensitive, secret data.

The /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint served by the metrics service (defaulting running on port 9090) reveals the command-line flags provided for debugging purposes. If a password is set via the --grpc-preshared-key then the key is revealed by this endpoint along with any other flags provided to the SpiceDB binary.

Impact

All deployments abiding by the recommended best practices for production usage are NOT affected:

  • Authzed's SpiceDB Serverless
  • Authzed's SpiceDB Dedicated
  • SpiceDB Operator

Users configuring SpiceDB via environment variables are NOT affected.

Users MAY be affected if they expose their metrics port to an untrusted network and are configuring --grpc-preshared-key via command-line flag.

Workarounds

To workaround this issue you can do one of the following:

  • Configure the preshared key via an environment variable (e.g. SPICEDB_GRPC_PRESHARED_KEY=yoursecret spicedb serve)
  • Reconfigure the --metrics-addr flag to bind to a trusted network (e.g. --metrics-addr=localhost:9090)
  • Disable the metrics service via the flag (e.g. --metrics-enabled=false)
  • Adopt one of the recommended deployment models: Authzed's managed services or the SpiceDB Operator

References

Record
GHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6
CVSS 3.1
8.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-209
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 8.7

SpiceDB is an open source, Google Zanzibar-inspired, database system for creating and managing security-critical application permissions. The spicedb serve command contains a flag named --grpc-preshared-key which is used to protect the gRPC API from being accessed by unauthorized requests. The values of this flag are to be considered sensitive, secret data. The /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint served by the metrics service (defaulting running on port 9090) reveals the command-line flags provided for debugging purposes. If a password is set via the --grpc-preshared-key then the key is revealed by this endpoint along with any other flags provided to the SpiceDB binary. This issue has been fixed in version 1.19.1.

Impact

All deployments abiding by the recommended best practices for production usage are NOT affected:

  • Authzed's SpiceDB Serverless
  • Authzed's SpiceDB Dedicated
  • SpiceDB Operator

Users configuring SpiceDB via environment variables are NOT affected.

Users MAY be affected if they expose their metrics port to an untrusted network and are configuring --grpc-preshared-key via command-line flag.

Patches

TODO

Workarounds

To workaround this issue you can do one of the following:

  • Configure the preshared key via an environment variable (e.g. SPICEDB_GRPC_PRESHARED_KEY=yoursecret spicedb serve)
  • Reconfigure the --metrics-addr flag to bind to a trusted network (e.g. --metrics-addr=localhost:9090)
  • Disable the metrics service via the flag (e.g. --metrics-enabled=false)
  • Adopt one of the recommended deployment models: Authzed's managed services or the SpiceDB Operator

References

Credit

We'd like to thank Amit Laish, a security researcher at GE Vernova for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability.

Record
CVE-2023-29193
CVSS 3.1
8.7 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Weakness
CWE-209
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 8.7

SpiceDB binding metrics port to untrusted networks and can leak command-line flags

SpiceDB is an open source, Google Zanzibar-inspired, database system for creating and managing security-critical application permissions. The spicedb serve command contains a flag named --grpc-preshared-key which is used to protect the gRPC API from being accessed by unauthorized requests. The values of this flag are to be considered sensitive, secret data. The /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint served by the metrics service (defaulting running on port 9090) reveals the command-line flags provided for debugging purposes. If a password is set via the --grpc-preshared-key then the key is revealed by this endpoint along with any other flags provided to the SpiceDB binary. This issue has been fixed in version 1.19.1.

Impact

All deployments abiding by the recommended best practices for production usage are NOT affected:

  • Authzed's SpiceDB Serverless
  • Authzed's SpiceDB Dedicated
  • SpiceDB Operator

Users configuring SpiceDB via environment variables are NOT affected.

Users MAY be affected if they expose their metrics port to an untrusted network and are configuring --grpc-preshared-key via command-line flag.

Patches

TODO

Workarounds

To workaround this issue you can do one of the following:

  • Configure the preshared key via an environment variable (e.g. SPICEDB_GRPC_PRESHARED_KEY=yoursecret spicedb serve)
  • Reconfigure the --metrics-addr flag to bind to a trusted network (e.g. --metrics-addr=localhost:9090)
  • Disable the metrics service via the flag (e.g. --metrics-enabled=false)
  • Adopt one of the recommended deployment models: Authzed's managed services or the SpiceDB Operator

References

Credit

We'd like to thank Amit Laish, a security researcher at GE Vernova for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability.

Record
CVE-2023-29193
CVSS 3.1
8.7 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-209
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6 8.1

SpiceDB binding metrics port to untrusted networks and can leak command-line flags

Background

The spicedb serve command contains a flag named --grpc-preshared-key which is used to protect the gRPC API from being accessed by unauthorized requests. The values of this flag are to be considered sensitive, secret data.

The /debug/pprof/cmdline endpoint served by the metrics service (defaulting running on port 9090) reveals the command-line flags provided for debugging purposes. If a password is set via the --grpc-preshared-key then the key is revealed by this endpoint along with any other flags provided to the SpiceDB binary.

Impact

All deployments abiding by the recommended best practices for production usage are NOT affected:

  • Authzed's SpiceDB Serverless
  • Authzed's SpiceDB Dedicated
  • SpiceDB Operator

Users configuring SpiceDB via environment variables are NOT affected.

Users MAY be affected if they expose their metrics port to an untrusted network and are configuring --grpc-preshared-key via command-line flag.

Workarounds

To workaround this issue you can do one of the following:

  • Configure the preshared key via an environment variable (e.g. SPICEDB_GRPC_PRESHARED_KEY=yoursecret spicedb serve)
  • Reconfigure the --metrics-addr flag to bind to a trusted network (e.g. --metrics-addr=localhost:9090)
  • Disable the metrics service via the flag (e.g. --metrics-enabled=false)
  • Adopt one of the recommended deployment models: Authzed's managed services or the SpiceDB Operator

References

Record
GHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6
CVSS 3.1
8.1 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Weakness
CWE-209
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGO-2023-1723 No score

SpiceDB binding metrics port to untrusted networks and can leak command-line flags in github.com/authzed/spicedb

SpiceDB binding metrics port to untrusted networks and can leak command-line flags in github.com/authzed/spicedb

Record
GO-2023-1723
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
github.com/authzed/spicedb
Go
before 1.19.1
1.19.1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2023-29193 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.7) in Authzed Spicedb, published April 13, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.76%, the 55th percentile. Fixed in github.com/authzed/spicedb 1.19.1.

References

MoveEnter Open