CVE-2023-29193
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-addrflag 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
- GitHub Security Advisory issued for SpiceDB
- Go issue #22085 for documenting the risks of exposing pprof to the internet
- Go issue #42834 discusses preventing pprof registration to the default serve mux
- semgrep rule go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof.pprof-debug-exposure checks for a variation of this issue
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
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-addrflag 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
- GitHub Security Advisory issued for SpiceDB
- Go issue #22085 for documenting the risks of exposing pprof to the internet
- Go issue #42834 discusses preventing pprof registration to the default serve mux
- semgrep rule go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof.pprof-debug-exposure checks for a variation of this issue
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 High
CVSS: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-addrflag 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
- GitHub Security Advisory issued for SpiceDB
- Go issue #22085 for documenting the risks of exposing pprof to the internet
- Go issue #42834 discusses preventing pprof registration to the default serve mux
- semgrep rule go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof.pprof-debug-exposure checks for a variation of this issue
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 High
CVSS: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-addrflag 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
- GitHub Security Advisory issued for SpiceDB
- Go issue #22085 for documenting the risks of exposing pprof to the internet
- Go issue #42834 discusses preventing pprof registration to the default serve mux
- semgrep rule go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof.pprof-debug-exposure checks for a variation of this issue
- Record
GHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6- CVSS 3.1
- 8.1 High
CVSS: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-addrflag 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
- GitHub Security Advisory issued for SpiceDB
- Go issue #22085 for documenting the risks of exposing pprof to the internet
- Go issue #42834 discusses preventing pprof registration to the default serve mux
- semgrep rule go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof.pprof-debug-exposure checks for a variation of this issue
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 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS: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-addrflag 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
- GitHub Security Advisory issued for SpiceDB
- Go issue #22085 for documenting the risks of exposing pprof to the internet
- Go issue #42834 discusses preventing pprof registration to the default serve mux
- semgrep rule go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof.pprof-debug-exposure checks for a variation of this issue
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 High
CVSS: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-addrflag 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
- GitHub Security Advisory issued for SpiceDB
- Go issue #22085 for documenting the risks of exposing pprof to the internet
- Go issue #42834 discusses preventing pprof registration to the default serve mux
- semgrep rule go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof.pprof-debug-exposure checks for a variation of this issue
- Record
GHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6- CVSS 3.1
- 8.1 High
CVSS: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
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
github.com/authzed/spicedbGo |
before 1.19.1 | 1.19.1 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE 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
github.com/authzed/spicedb/security/advisories/GHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6
github.com/authzed/spicedb/commit/9bbd7d76b6eaba33fe0236014f9b175d21232999
github.com/authzed/spicedb/releases/tag/v1.19.1
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-29193
github.com/advisories/GHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2023/29xxx/CVE-2023-29193.json
github.com/authzed/spicedb