CVE-2023-27593: cilium-agent container can access the host via `hostPath` mount

Published Mar 17, 2023
·
Updated

Cilium is a networking, observability, and security solution with an eBPF-based dataplane. Prior to versions 1.11.15, 1.12.8, and 1.13.1, an attacker with access to a Cilium agent pod can write to /opt/cni/bin due to a hostPath mount of that directory in the agent pod. By replacing the CNI binary with their own malicious binary and waiting for the creation of a new pod on the node, the attacker can gain access to the underlying node.

The issue has been fixed and the fix is available on versions 1.11.15, 1.12.8, and 1.13.1. Some workarounds are available. Kubernetes RBAC should be used to deny users and service accounts exec access to Cilium agent pods. In cases where a user requires exec access to Cilium agent pods, but should not have access to the underlying node, no workaround is possible.

Affected Software

3 affected components
Cilium Cilium<1.11.15
Cilium Cilium>=1.12.0<1.12.8
Cilium Cilium>=1.13.0<1.13.1

Event History

Mar 17, 2023
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:51 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:51 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2023-27593?

The severity of CVE-2023-27593 is medium with a CVSS score of 5.5.

2

How does CVE-2023-27593 affect Cilium?

CVE-2023-27593 affects Cilium versions 1.11.15, 1.12.0 to 1.12.8, and 1.13.0 to 1.13.1.

3

What is Cilium?

Cilium is a networking, observability, and security solution with an eBPF-based dataplane.

4

How can an attacker exploit CVE-2023-27593?

An attacker with access to a Cilium agent pod can write to /opt/cni/bin due to a hostPath mount of that directory in the agent pod, allowing them to replace the CNI binary.

5

How can I fix CVE-2023-27593?

To fix CVE-2023-27593, upgrade Cilium to versions 1.11.15, 1.12.8, or 1.13.1 where the vulnerability is patched.

Contact

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