Vulnerability · Published Aug 12, 2026 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2026-73499etcd: Watch API authorization bypass via open-ended range requests
High 7.1
In plain English
A high-severity incorrect authorization in etcd from etcd-io. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.7% (higher than 52% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official 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.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | etcd | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-73499 |
| Debian:13 | etcd | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-73499 |
| Debian:14 | etcd | no fix listed | DEBIAN-CVE-2026-73499 |
| Go | go.etcd.io/etcd/server/v3 | 3.5.33, 3.6.14, 3.7.1 | GO-2026-6114 |
| Go | go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 | 3.5.33 | GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8 |
| Go | go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 | 3.6.14 | GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8 |
| Go | go.etcd.io/etcd/v3 | 3.7.1 | GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8 |
| Ubuntu:26.10 | etcd | no fix listed | UBUNTU-CVE-2026-73499 |
Affected products (as reported)
Weakness: CWE-863 · 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
References
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/security/advisories/GHSA-xg4h-6gfc-h4m8 x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/commit/6643f80602461a6095c9b294b6512fd9719bef41 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/commit/7cf71ec9e2ec54230a5454392fa4ffd4574b41ed x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/commit/afeaa624da19085b47fb5ccc7c22a8c421bc2eae x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/commit/e863b001bbf3367003a543aa3099db9892134cd7 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/releases/tag/v3.5.33 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/releases/tag/v3.6.14 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/releases/tag/v3.7.1 x_refsource_MISC