Kubernetes API Server JSON/YAML parsing vulnerable to resource exhaustion attack (Kubernetes Kubernetes)
At a glance
- Source
- NVD
- EPSS
- EPSS 25.94 % · percentile 98 ()
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- Updated
- Assigner
- kubernetes
- NVD status
- Analyzed
Description
Improper input validation in the Kubernetes API server in versions v1.0-1.12 and versions prior to v1.13.12, v1.14.8, v1.15.5, and v1.16.2 allows authorized users to send malicious YAML or JSON payloads, causing the API server to consume excessive CPU or memory, potentially crashing and becoming unavailable. Prior to v1.14.0, default RBAC policy authorized anonymous users to submit requests that could trigger this vulnerability. Clusters upgraded from a version prior to v1.14.0 keep the more permissive policy by default for backwards compatibility.
Weaknesses (CWE)
- CWE-20 — Improper Input Validation
- CWE-776 — Improper Restriction of Recursive Entity References in DTDs
References
- https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/83253
- https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21topic/kubernetes-security-announce/jk8polzSUxs
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3239
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20191031-0006/
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3811
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3905
Scores
| Version | Score | Vector | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H | kubernetes |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H | NVD · jordan@liggitt.net (Secondary) |
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH 7.5 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H | NVD · nvd@nist.gov (Primary) |
| CVSS 2.0 | MEDIUM 5.0 | AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P | NVD · nvd@nist.gov (Primary) |
Advisories
- GHSA-pmqp-h87c-mr78 — XML Entity Expansion and Improper Input Validation in Kubernetes API server
- GO-2022-0703 — XML Entity Expansion and Improper Input Validation in Kubernetes API server in k8s.io/kubernetes
European references
- ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-1151
- GCVE · GCVE-0-2019-11253
CERT-FR advisories
- CERTFR-2025-AVI-0279 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBM · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
- CERTFR-2022-AVI-591 — Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBM · cert.ssi.gouv.fr
Affected configurations (NVD CPE)
cpe:2.3:a:kubernetes:kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*≥ 1.1.0 ≤ 1.12.10cpe:2.3:a:kubernetes:kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*≥ 1.13.0 < 1.13.12cpe:2.3:a:kubernetes:kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*≥ 1.14.0 < 1.14.8cpe:2.3:a:kubernetes:kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*≥ 1.15.0 < 1.15.5cpe:2.3:a:kubernetes:kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*≥ 1.16.0 < 1.16.2cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:3.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Affected products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| Kubernetes · Kubernetes | affected prior to 1.13.12 ; affected prior to 1.14.8 ; affected prior to 1.15.5 ; affected prior to 1.16.2 ; affected 1.1 ; affected 1.2 |
Sources
| Source | Licence |
|---|---|
| CVE List (CVEProject cvelistV5) | CVE Program Terms of Use |
| EPSS (FIRST.org) | FIRST — attribution requested |
| ENISA EUVD | ENISA — reproduction authorised, source acknowledged |
| CERT-FR (ANSSI) | Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0 |
| NVD (NIST) via fkie-cad/nvd-json-data-feeds | Public domain — this product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD |