Notation's default `maxSignatureAttempts` in `notation verify` enables an endless data attack (CVE-2023-33958) | HOL Guard CVE

Medium · CVSS 6.5CVE-2023-33958GHSA-RVRX-RRWH-R9P6

Notation's default `maxSignatureAttempts` in `notation verify` enables an endless data attack

Answer in brief

CVE-2023-33958 records a Medium severity (CVSS 6.5) vulnerability in Notation's default `maxSignatureAttempts` in `notation verify` enables an endless data attack. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps github.com/notaryproject/notation (go). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Jun 6, 2023Updated Sep 10, 2026Source checked Sep 10, 2026First seen by HOL Sep 10, 2026Material review Sep 10, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Medium · CVSS 6.5
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 1 mapped package or product
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 6.5. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps github.com/notaryproject/notation (go). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
github.com/notaryproject/notationgo	>=0 <1.0.0-rc.6	1.0.0-rc.6

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for github.com/notaryproject/notation.
Review the reported fix. Update github.com/notaryproject/notation to 1.0.0-rc.6 if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Jun 6, 2023
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 10, 2026
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Sep 10, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

### Impact An attacker who controls or compromises a registry can make the registry serve an infinite number of signatures for the artifact, causing a denial of service to the host machine running `notation verify`. ### Patches The problem has been fixed in the release [v1.0.0-rc.6](https://github.com/notaryproject/notation/releases/tag/v1.0.0-rc.6). Users should upgrade their notation packages to [v1.0.0-rc.6](https://github.com/notaryproject/notation/releases/tag/v1.0.0-rc.6) or above. ### Workarounds User should use secure and trusted container registries ### Credits The `notation` project would like to thank Adam Korczynski (@AdamKorcz) for responsibly disclosing the issue found during an security audit (facilitated by OSTIF and sponsored by CNCF) and Shiwei Zhang (@shizhMSFT) for root cause analysis.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.