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🛡️ CVE-2024-43798 — chisel

🟠 CVSS 8.6 — High ✅ No Known Exploit CWE-1068 NVD
8.6
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Chisel's AUTH environment variable not respected in server entrypoint

Summary

The Chisel server doesn't ever read the documented AUTH environment variable used to set credentials, which allows any unauthenticated user to connect, even if credentials were set. This advisory is a formalization of a report sent to the maintainer via email.

Details

In the help page for the chisel server subcommand, it mentions an AUTH environment variable that can be set in order to provide credentials that the server should authenticate connections against: https://github.com/jpillora/chisel/blob/3de177432cd23db58e57f376b62ad497cc10840f/main.go#L138.

The issue is that the server entrypoint doesn't ever read the AUTH environment variable. The only place that this happens is in the client entrypoint: https://github.com/jpillora/chisel/blob/3de177432cd23db58e57f376b62ad497cc10840f/main.go#L452

This subverts the expectations set by the documentation, allowing unauthenticated users to connect to a Chisel server, even if auth is attempted to be set up in this manner.

PoC

Run chisel server, first specifying credentials with the AUTH environment variable, then with the --auth argument. In the first case, the server allows connections without authentication, while in the second, the correct behavior is exhibited.

Impact

Anyone who is running the Chisel server, and that is using the AUTH environment variable to specify credentials to authenticate against. Chisel is often used to provide an entrypoint to a private network, which means services that are gated by Chisel may be affected. Additionally, Chisel is often used for exposing services to the internet. An attacker could MITM requests by connecting to a Chisel server and requesting to forward traffic from a remote port.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is changed, meaning a successful attack can affect components beyond the vulnerable one. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity none, availability none.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

  • Attack vector: Network — reachable from anywhere that can route to the service.
  • Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
  • Privileges required: None — an unauthenticated stranger can try it.
  • User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
  • Scope: Changed — a successful attack reaches components beyond the vulnerable one.
  • Confidentiality impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Integrity impact: None.
  • Availability impact: None.

Weakness class

CVE-2024-43798 is classified as CWE-1068: Inconsistency Between Implementation and Documented Design. The implementation of the product is not consistent with the design as described within the relevant documentation.

Affected software

CVE-2024-43798 is recorded against 2 packages.

  • github.com/jpillora/chisel
  • unknown

Timeline and source

Published on 27 August 2024 and last revised on 3 March 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from NVD.

References

github.com (Web)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
github.com (Package)
github.com (Web)
github.com (Web)

Other advisories for this package

github.com/jpillora/chisel has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

Same weakness in other software

These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-1068: Inconsistency Between Implementation and Documented Design) in other software:

Details

Severity HIGH
CVSS Score 8.6
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
CWE CWE-1068
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2024-08-27
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-03-03
Fix URL N/A

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
github.com/jpillora/chisel
unknown

Similar Threats

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ⓘ Data Notice: The information presented above has been compiled from publicly available internet sources. Boteraser aggregates this data solely for informational purposes and does not independently classify, evaluate, or endorse any findings about the vulnerabilities listed. The accuracy and completeness of this information is the sole responsibility of the original publishers. Boteraser and its operators accept no liability for any decisions made based on this data.

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