CVE-2019-11251: kubectl cp allows symlink directory traversal

Published Sep 18, 2019
·
Updated

A vulnerability has been discovered in kubectl cp that allows a combination of two symlinks to copy a file outside of its destination directory. This could be used to allow an attacker to place a netfarious file using a symlink, outside of the destination tree.

Reference: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/82143 https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/82143 https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/82384 https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/82502 https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/82503

Other sources

The Kubernetes kubectl cp command in versions 1.1-1.12, and versions prior to 1.13.11, 1.14.7, and 1.15.4 allows a combination of two symlinks provided by tar output of a malicious container to place a file outside of the destination directory specified in the kubectl cp invocation. This could be used to allow an attacker to place a nefarious file using a symlink, outside of the destination tree.

Affected Software

13 affected componentsFixes available
go/k8s.io/kubernetes>=1.15.3<1.16.0
1.16.0
go/k8s.io/kubernetes>=1.14.6<1.14.7
1.14.7
go/k8s.io/kubernetes>=1.13.10<1.13.11
1.13.11
redhat/atomic-openshift<0:3.11.154-1.git.0.7a097ad.el7
0:3.11.154-1.git.0.7a097ad.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift<0:3.9.102-1.git.0.6411f52.el7
0:3.9.102-1.git.0.6411f52.el7
redhat/openshift<0:4.1.21-201910220952.git.0.493dbf6.el7
0:4.1.21-201910220952.git.0.493dbf6.el7
redhat/kubernetes<1.15.4
1.15.4
redhat/kubernetes<1.14.7
1.14.7
redhat/kubernetes<1.13.11
1.13.11
Kubernetes kubernetes>=1.13.0<1.13.11
Kubernetes kubernetes>=1.14.0<1.14.7
Kubernetes kubernetes>=1.15.0<1.15.4
Kubernetes kubernetes=1.1-1.12

Event History

Sep 18, 2019
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Feb 3, 2020
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:35 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:35 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
May 18, 2021
Advisory Published
03:30 PM

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the vulnerability ID?

The vulnerability ID is CVE-2019-11251.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2019-11251?

The severity of CVE-2019-11251 is medium with a severity value of 5.7.

3

Which versions of Kubernetes are affected by CVE-2019-11251?

Versions 1.1-1.12 and versions prior to 1.13.11, 1.14.7, and 1.15.4 of Kubernetes are affected by CVE-2019-11251.

4

How can the CVE-2019-11251 vulnerability be fixed?

To fix the CVE-2019-11251 vulnerability, update Kubernetes to version 1.16.0 or above, or to versions 1.13.11, 1.14.7, or 1.15.4.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2019-11251?

You can find more information about CVE-2019-11251 at the following references: [CVE.org](https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11251), [NVD](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11251), [Red Hat Bugzilla](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1753495), and [Red Hat Security Advisory](https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3905).

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