CVE-2022-21701: Privileged Escalation in Istio
First published: Wed Jan 19 2022(Updated: )
Istio is an open platform to connect, manage, and secure microservices. In versions 1.12.0 and 1.12.1 Istio is vulnerable to a privilege escalation attack. Users who have `CREATE` permission for `gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io` objects can escalate this privilege to create other resources that they may not have access to, such as `Pod`. This vulnerability impacts only an Alpha level feature, the Kubernetes Gateway API. This is not the same as the Istio Gateway type (gateways.networking.istio.io), which is not vulnerable. Users are advised to upgrade to resolve this issue. Users unable to upgrade should implement any of the following which will prevent this vulnerability: Remove the gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io CustomResourceDefinition, set PILOT_ENABLE_GATEWAY_API_DEPLOYMENT_CONTROLLER=true environment variable in Istiod, or remove CREATE permissions for gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io objects from untrusted users.
Credit: security-advisories@github.com
| Affected Software | Affected Version | How to fix |
|---|---|---|
| Istio Istio | =1.12.0 | |
| Istio Istio | =1.12.0-alpha0 | |
| Istio Istio | =1.12.0-alpha1 | |
| Istio Istio | =1.12.0-alpha5 | |
| Istio Istio | =1.12.0-beta0 | |
| Istio Istio | =1.12.0-beta1 | |
| Istio Istio | =1.12.0-beta2 | |
| Istio Istio | =1.12.0-rc1 | |
| Istio Istio | =1.12.1 |
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Reference Links
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2022-21701?
CVE-2022-21701 is a vulnerability in Istio versions 1.12.0 and 1.12.1 that allows privilege escalation.
What is the severity of CVE-2022-21701?
CVE-2022-21701 has a severity score of 8.8 out of 10, indicating a high severity.
How does CVE-2022-21701 impact Istio?
CVE-2022-21701 allows users with CREATE permission for gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io objects to escalate their privilege and create other resources.
Which versions of Istio are affected by CVE-2022-21701?
Versions 1.12.0 and 1.12.1 of Istio are affected by CVE-2022-21701.
How can I fix CVE-2022-21701?
To fix CVE-2022-21701, upgrade your Istio installation to version 1.12.2 or apply the necessary patches provided by the Istio project.
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