Minio unsafe default: Access keys inherit `admin` of root user, allowing privilege escalation

{
  "id": "4ba320b79a71d06674c8b01d4f77259adc39e59fad8212bc16bd94c289724d6a",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "Minio unsafe default: Access keys inherit `admin` of root user, allowing privilege escalation",
    "summary": "### Summary When someone creates an access key, it inherits the permissions of the parent key. Not only for `s3:*` actions, but also `admin:*` actions. Which means unless somewhere above in the access-key hierarchy, the `admin` rights are denied, access keys will be able to simply override their own `s3` permissions to something more permissive. Credit to @xSke for sort of accidentally discovering this. I only understood the implications. ### Details / PoC We spun up the latest version of minio in a docker container and signed in to the admin UI using the minio root user. We created two buckets, `public` and `private` and created an access key called `mycat` and attached the following policy to only allow access to the bucket called `public`. ```json { \"Version\": \"2012-10-17\", \"Statement\": [ { \"Effect\": \"Allow\", \"Action\": [ \"s3:*\" ], \"Resource\": [ \"arn:aws:s3:::public\", \"arn:aws:s3:::public/*\" ] } ] } ``` We then set an alias in mc: `mcli alias set vuln http://localhost:9001 mycat mycatiscute` And checked whether policy works: ``` A ~/c/minio-vuln mcli ls vuln [0001-01-01 00:53:28 LMT] 0B public/ ``` Looks good, we believe this is how 99% of users will work with access policies. If I now create a file `full-access-policy.json`: ```json { \"Version\": \"2012-10-17\", \"Statement\": [ { \"Effect\": \"Allow\", \"Action\": [ \"s3:*\" ], \"Resource\": [ \"arn:aws:s3:::*\" ] } ] } ``` And then: ```sh A ~/c/minio-vuln mcli admin user svcacct edit --policy full-access-policy.json vuln mycat Edited ser",
    "evidence": "osv:GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "github.com/minio/minio",
          "evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "0.0.0-20240131185645-0ae4915a9391",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      }
    ],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2024-24747",
        "GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4",
        "GO-2024-2499"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "SEMVER",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "0.0.0-20240131185645-0ae4915a9391"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "github.com/minio/minio",
            "purl": "pkg:golang/github.com/minio/minio",
            "ecosystem": "Go"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2024/02/GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4/GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4.json"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-08T08:11:01.109901140Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://github.com/minio/minio/security/advisories/GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4",
        "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-24747",
        "https://github.com/minio/minio/commit/0ae4915a9391ef4b3ec80f5fcdcf24ee6884e776",
        "https://github.com/minio/minio",
        "https://github.com/minio/minio/releases/tag/RELEASE.2024-01-31T20-20-33Z"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "cwe_ids": [
          "CWE-269"
        ],
        "severity": "HIGH",
        "github_reviewed": true,
        "nvd_published_at": "2024-01-31T22:15:54Z",
        "github_reviewed_at": "2024-02-01T19:21:30Z"
      }
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2024-24747",
        "evidence": "/aliases"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/database_specific/severity"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 98745,
  "published_at": "2024-02-01T19:21:30+00:00"
}

{
  "id": "ee8c82e0a6d6a14d5ff79ee3c4e962baa40c1ccb7ee10d64b3a8fa10e6e4f6a4",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GO-2024-2499",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "Minio unsafe default: Access keys inherit `admin` of root user, allowing privilege escalation in github.com/minio/minio",
    "summary": "Minio unsafe default: Access keys inherit `admin` of root user, allowing privilege escalation in github.com/minio/minio",
    "evidence": "osv:GO-2024-2499",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "github.com/minio/minio",
          "evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "0.0.0-20240131185645-0ae4915a9391",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      }
    ],
    "severity": "unknown",
    "structured": {
      "id": "GO-2024-2499",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2024-24747",
        "GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4",
        "GO-2024-2499"
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "SEMVER",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "0.0.0-20240131185645-0ae4915a9391"
                }
              ]
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          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "github.com/minio/minio",
            "purl": "pkg:golang/github.com/minio/minio",
            "ecosystem": "Go"
          },
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            "source": "https://vuln.go.dev/ID/GO-2024-2499.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {}
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-08T08:11:01.109901140Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://github.com/minio/minio/security/advisories/GHSA-xx8w-mq23-29g4",
        "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-24747",
        "https://github.com/minio/minio/commit/0ae4915a9391ef4b3ec80f5fcdcf24ee6884e776",
        "https://github.com/minio/minio/releases/tag/RELEASE.2024-01-31T20-20-33Z"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {
        "url": "https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2024-2499",
        "review_status": "UNREVIEWED"
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    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2024-24747",
        "evidence": "/aliases"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": null
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 98747,
  "published_at": "2024-06-28T15:28:53+00:00"
}