Docker Swarm encrypted overlay network with a single endpoint is unauthenticated

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

6.8 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2023-28842: 1.44% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 73.21 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Moby is an open source container framework developed by Docker Inc. that is distributed as Docker, Mirantis Container Runtime, and various other downstream projects/products. The Moby daemon component (dockerd), which is developed as moby/moby is commonly referred to as Docker. Swarm Mode, which is compiled in and delivered by default in dockerd and is thus present in most major Moby downstreams, is a simple, built-in container orchestrator that is implemented through a combination of SwarmKit and supporting network code. The overlay network driver is a core feature of Swarm Mode, providing isolated virtual LANs that allow communication between containers and services across the cluster. This driver is an implementation/user of VXLAN, which encapsulates link-layer (Ethernet) frames in UDP datagrams that tag the frame with a VXLAN Network ID (VNI) that identifies the originating overlay network. In addition, the overlay network driver supports an optional, off-by-default encrypted…

Published by the source

4 Apr 2023, 21:11 UTC

Last modified by the source

18 Apr 2023, 22:04 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 14:58 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-6wrf-mxfj-pf5p

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2023-28842

Advisory: Docker Swarm encrypted overlay network with a single endpoint is unauthenticated
IDs: CVE-2023-28842, GHSA-6wrf-mxfj-pf5p
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2023-28842 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 14:58 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 6.8)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: github.com/docker/docker 23.0.3, 20.10.24. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/docker/docker: affected >= 1.12.0, < 20.10.24; >= 23.0.0, < 23.0.3; fixed in 23.0.3, 20.10.24

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Go github.com/docker/docker: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on github.com/docker/docker.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-6wrf-mxfj-pf5p (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-6wrf-mxfj-pf5p lists affected ranges: Go github.com/docker/docker >=1.12.0 =23.0.0 <23.0.3)

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