# CVE-2021-32001: K3s/RKE2 bootstrap data is encrypted with empty string if user does not supply a token

> Attackers with datastore access can decrypt cluster secrets because bootstrap data uses an empty string key when no token is supplied.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Jul 2021
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024

## What is CVE-2021-32001?

CVE-2021-32001 is a medium-severity vulnerability in SUSE Rancher, published on 28 Jul 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

K3s in SUSE Rancher allows any user with direct access to the datastore, or a copy of a datastore backup, to extract the cluster's confidential keying material (cluster certificate authority private keys, secrets encryption configuration passphrase, etc.) and decrypt it, without having to know the token value. This issue affects: SUSE Rancher K3s version v1.19.12+k3s1, v1.20.8+k3s1, v1.21.2+k3s1 and prior versions; RKE2 version v1.19.12+rke2r1, v1.20.8+rke2r1, v1.21.2+rke2r1 and prior versions.

Weakness: CWE-311 (Missing Encryption of Sensitive Data)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-32001?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Suse Rancher K3s, Suse Rancher Rke2.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-32001?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-32001 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-32001 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-32001 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-32001 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-32001 is a medium-severity vulnerability in SUSE Rancher, published on 28 Jul 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-32001 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: SUSE Rancher. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2021-32001/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-32001/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-32001
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-32001
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-32001

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-32001/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.