CVE-2021-32001
K3s/RKE2 bootstrap data is encrypted with empty string if user does not supply a token
K3s in SUSE Rancher allows any user with direct access to the datastore, or a copy of a datastore backup, to extract the cluster's confidential keying material (cluster certificate authority private keys, secrets encryption configuration passphrase, etc.) and decrypt it, without having to know the token value. This issue affects: SUSE Rancher K3s version v1.19.12+k3s1, v1.20.8+k3s1, v1.21.2+k3s1 and prior versions; RKE2 version v1.19.12+rke2r1, v1.20.8+rke2r1, v1.21.2+rke2r1 and prior versions.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
K3s/RKE2 bootstrap data is encrypted with empty string if user does not supply a token
K3s in SUSE Rancher allows any user with direct access to the datastore, or a copy of a datastore backup, to extract the cluster's confidential keying material (cluster certificate authority private keys, secrets encryption configuration passphrase, etc.) and decrypt it, without having to know the token value. This issue affects: SUSE Rancher K3s version v1.19.12+k3s1, v1.20.8+k3s1, v1.21.2+k3s1 and prior versions; RKE2 version v1.19.12+rke2r1, v1.20.8+rke2r1, v1.21.2+rke2r1 and prior versions.
- Record
CVE-2021-32001- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-311
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-18871
K3s in SUSE Rancher allows any user with direct access to the datastore, or a copy of a datastore backup, to extract the cluster's confidential keying material (cluster certificate authority private keys, secrets encryption configuration passphrase, etc.) and decrypt it, without having to know the token value. This issue affects: SUSE Rancher K3s version v1.19.12+k3s1, v1.20.8+k3s1, v1.21.2+k3s1 and prior versions; RKE2 version v1.19.12+rke2r1, v1.20.8+rke2r1, v1.21.2+rke2r1 and prior versions.
- Record
EUVD-2021-18871- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
NVD
K3s in SUSE Rancher allows any user with direct access to the datastore, or a copy of a datastore backup, to extract the cluster's confidential keying material (cluster certificate authority private keys, secrets encryption configuration passphrase, etc.) and decrypt it, without having to know the token value. This issue affects: SUSE Rancher K3s version v1.19.12+k3s1, v1.20.8+k3s1, v1.21.2+k3s1 and prior versions; RKE2 version v1.19.12+rke2r1, v1.20.8+rke2r1, v1.21.2+rke2r1 and prior versions.
- Record
CVE-2021-32001- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 4.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-311
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVALPINE-CVE-2021-32001
K3s in SUSE Rancher allows any user with direct access to the datastore, or a copy of a datastore backup, to extract the cluster's confidential keying material (cluster certificate authority private keys, secrets encryption configuration passphrase, etc.) and decrypt it, without having to know the token value. This issue affects: SUSE Rancher K3s version v1.19.12+k3s1, v1.20.8+k3s1, v1.21.2+k3s1 and prior versions; RKE2 version v1.19.12+rke2r1, v1.20.8+rke2r1, v1.21.2+rke2r1 and prior versions.
- Record
ALPINE-CVE-2021-32001- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
k3sAlpine:v3.15 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.16 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.17 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.18 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.19 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.20 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.21 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.22 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.23 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
k3sAlpine:v3.24 |
before 1.21.3.1-r0 | 1.21.3.1-r0 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, aliases, facts, references | OSV | |
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-32001 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.5) in Suse Rancher, published July 28, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.30%, the 23rd percentile. Fixed in k3s 1.21.3.1-r0.