# CVE-2023-36476: `calamares-nixos-extensions` LUKS keyfile exposure

> Attackers can read LUKS keyfiles from the initrd if the boot partition is unencrypted, exposing encrypted data.

- **Severity:** High 7.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 29 Jun 2023
- **Updated:** 27 Nov 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3rvf-24q2-24ww

## What is CVE-2023-36476?

CVE-2023-36476 is a high-severity vulnerability in calamares-nixos-extensions, published on 29 Jun 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

calamares-nixos-extensions provides Calamares branding and modules for NixOS, a distribution of GNU/Linux. Users of calamares-nixos-extensions version 0.3.12 and prior who installed NixOS through the graphical calamares installer, with an unencrypted `/boot`, on either non-UEFI systems or with a LUKS partition different from `/` have their LUKS key file in `/boot` as a plaintext CPIO archive attached to their NixOS initrd. A patch is available and anticipated to be part of version 0.3.13 to backport to NixOS 22.11, 23.05, and unstable channels. Expert users who have a copy of their data may, as a workaround, re-encrypt the LUKS partition(s) themselves.

Weakness: CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials), CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-36476?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nixos Calamares-Nixos-Extensions.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-36476?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-36476 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-36476 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-36476 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-36476 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-36476 is a high-severity vulnerability in calamares-nixos-extensions, published on 29 Jun 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-36476 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: calamares-nixos-extensions. 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-2023-36476/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36476/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-36476
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36476
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-36476

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36476/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.