CVE-2023-32187
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling vulnerability in SUSE k3s allows attackers with access to K3s servers' apiserver/supervisor port (TCP 6443) cause denial of service. This issue affects k3s: from v1.24.0 before v1.24.17+k3s1, from v1.25.0 before v1.25.13+k3s1, from v1.26.0 before v1.26.8+k3s1, from sev1.27.0 before v1.27.5+k3s1, from v1.28.0 before v1.28.1+k3s1.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThis is a resource exhaustion vulnerability in SUSE k3s where the apiserver/supervisor port (TCP 6443) lacks proper resource limits or throttling, allowing remote attackers to cause denial of service by consuming excessive resources.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 1.24.0, < 1.24.17\+k3s1>= 1.25.0, < 1.25.13\+k3s1>= 1.26.0, < 1.26.8\+k3s1>= 1.27.0, < 1.27.5\+k3s1>= 1.28.0, < 1.28.1\+k3s1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify k3s installed versionRun 'k3s --version' or check the systemd service version with 'systemctl status k3s' or inspect /var/lib/rancher/k3s/data/versionAffected if The installed version falls within >= 1.24.0 and < 1.24.17+k3s1, OR >= 1.25.0 and < 1.25.13+k3s1, OR >= 1.26.0 and < 1.26.8+k3s1, OR >= 1.27.0 and < 1.27.5+k3s1, OR >= 1.28.0 and < 1.28.1+k3s1
-
Confirm k3s API server port is listeningRun 'ss -tlnp | grep 6443' or 'netstat -tlnp | grep 6443' to verify TCP port 6443 is open and listeningAffected if Port 6443 is open and bound to the k3s apiserver/supervisor
-
Verify network exposure of port 6443Check firewall rules with 'iptables -L -n' or 'ufw status' and determine if TCP port 6443 is accessible from untrusted networksAffected if Port 6443 is exposed to networks where untrusted attackers can reach it (not restricted by firewall, ACL, or VPN)
You are affected if your k3s version is within the vulnerable ranges AND port 6443 is accessible to remote attackers.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped1.24.171.25.131.26.8
Update k3s to the patched versions (v1.24.17+k3s1, v1.25.13+k3s1, v1.26.8+k3s1, v1.27.5+k3s1, or v1.28.1+k3s1 and later) or restrict network access to port 6443 via firewall rules.
Upgrade to one of: v1.24.17+k3s1, v1.25.13+k3s1, v1.26.8+k3s1, v1.27.5+k3s1, or v1.28.1+k3s1 (or later stable releases)
- Stop the K3s service: sudo systemctl stop k3s
- Backup your K3s state (optional but recommended): sudo k3s etcd-snapshot save
- Install the fixed K3s version using the install script or manual binary replacement. For example, for v1.27.5+k3s1: curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | INSTALL_K3S_VERSION=v1.27.5+k3s1 sh -
- Verify the K3s service started successfully: sudo systemctl status k3s
- Confirm the new version is running: k3s --version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32187 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-32187 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data