Projects using the SUSE Virtualization (Harvester) environment may expose the OS default ssh login password  if they are using the 1.5.x or 1.6.x interactive installer to either create a new cluster or add new hosts to an existing cluster. The environment is not affected if the PXE boot mechanism is utilized along with the Harvester configuration setup.

Affected: Go: github.com/harvester/harvester-installer

### Impact

Projects using the SUSE Virtualization (Harvester) environment are vulnerable to this exploit if they are using the 1.5.x or 1.6.x interactive installer to either create a new cluster or add new hosts to an existing cluster. The environment is not affected if the [PXE boot mechanism](https://docs.harvesterhci.io/v1.7/install/pxe-boot-install/) is utilized along with the [Harvester configuration](https://docs.harvesterhci. io/v1.7/install/harvester-configuration) setup.

A critical vulnerability has been identified within the SUSE Virtualization interactive installer. This vulnerability allows an attacker to gain unauthorized network access to the host via a remote shell (SSH).

The SUSE Virtualization operating system includes a default administrative login credential intended solely for out-of-band cluster management tasks (for example, perform troubleshooting, device management and system recovery over serial ports). When the interactive installer is used to create or expand a cluster, the installer enables the host's networking functions before the default password is reset. This presents a window of opportunity for an attacker to exploit the default password to gain unauthorized access to the host via SSH.

Please consult the associated [MITRE ATT&CK - Technique - Default Credentials](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T0812/) for further information about this category of attack.

### Patches

This vulnerability is addressed by updating the interactive i…