Path Traversal in Kubernetes

CVE-2019-11249

The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes runs tar inside the container to create a tar archive, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user’s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user’s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. Kubernetes affected versions include versions prior to 1.13.9, versions prior to 1.14.5, versions prior to 1.15.2, and versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12.

EPSS: 0.037 (88.7th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 6.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-11249?
CVE-2019-11249 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Kubernetes, classified under UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following. CVSS score: 6.5/10. Published 2019-08-29.
How severe is CVE-2019-11249?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2019-11249 known to be exploited?
16 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.