# CVE-2020-1764: Hard coded cryptographic key in Kiali

> Attackers can bypass authentication using hard-coded keys to view and modify Istio configurations in Kiali.

- **Severity:** High 8.6 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 26 Mar 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-64rh-r86q-75ff, GO-2022-0631

## What is CVE-2020-1764?

CVE-2020-1764 is a high-severity vulnerability in Red Hat kiali, published on 26 Mar 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A hard-coded cryptographic key vulnerability in the default configuration file was found in Kiali, all versions prior to 1.15.1. A remote attacker could abuse this flaw by creating their own JWT signed tokens and bypass Kiali authentication mechanisms, possibly gaining privileges to view and alter the Istio configuration.

Weakness: CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials), CWE-321 (Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1764?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/kiali/kiali. It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/kiali/kiali` | Go | All versions | 1.15.1 |
| `github.com/kiali/kiali` | Go | All versions | 1.15.1 |
| `github.com/kiali/kiali` | Go | All versions | 1.15.1 |

Products: Kiali Kiali, Redhat Openshift Service Mesh.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-1764?

Upgrade github.com/kiali/kiali to 1.15.1 or later.

## Is CVE-2020-1764 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1764 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Auth Bypass PoC for Kiali (github_poc): https://github.com/jpts/cve-2020-1764-poc

## Other vulnerabilities in Red Hat kiali

- [CVE-2020-1762](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1762/): Insufficient Session Expiration in Kiali (high 7.0)
- [CVE-2021-20278](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-20278/): Kiali Authentication Bypass vulnerability (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2022-3962](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-3962/): Kiali: error message spoofing in kiali ui (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-1764 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-1764 is a high-severity vulnerability in Red Hat kiali, published on 26 Mar 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1764 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/kiali/kiali (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.15.1
- github.com/kiali/kiali (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.15.1
- github.com/kiali/kiali (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.15.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1764/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1764/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1764
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1764
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1764

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1764/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.