The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes creates a tar inside the container, 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. The untar function can both create and follow symbolic links. The issue is resolved in kubectl v1.11.9, v1.12.7, v1.13.5, and v1.14.0.
CVSS Details
- CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 6.4
- CVSS 3.0 Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N)
Covered by Rapid7
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freebsd | — | Upgrade kubectl | Dec 10, 2025 | Apr 1, 2019 |
| Kubernetes | — | Upgrade Kubernetes to version 1.12.7Upgrade Kubernetes to version 1.11.9Upgrade Kubernetes to version 1.13.5 | Apr 16, 2019 | Apr 1, 2019 |
| Oracle_linux | — | Upgrade kubeadm-ha-setupUpgrade kubeletUpgrade kubernetesUpgrade kubernetes-cniUpgrade kubectlUpgrade kubeadm-upgradeUpgrade kubernetes-cni-pluginsUpgrade kubeadm | Apr 14, 2019 | Apr 1, 2019 |
| Redhat Openshift | — | Upgrade atomic-openshift-web-consoleUpgrade atomic-openshift-metrics-serverUpgrade openshift-enterprise-cluster-capacityUpgrade atomic-openshiftUpgrade golang-github-openshift-oauth-proxyUpgrade atomic-openshift-node-problem-detectorUpgrade atomic-openshift-service-idlerUpgrade atomic-enterprise-service-catalogUpgrade golang-github-prometheus-prometheusUpgrade python-certifiUpgrade atomic-openshift-deschedulerUpgrade golang-github-prometheus-node_exporterUpgrade atomic-openshift-dockerregistryUpgrade ansible-service-brokerUpgrade openshift-ansibleUpgrade python-libcloudUpgrade cri-oUpgrade openshift-enterprise-autohealUpgrade python-dockerUpgrade golang-github-prometheus-alertmanagerUpgrade rubygem-fluent-plugin-viaq_data_modelUpgrade atomic-openshift-cluster-autoscaler | Jun 24, 2019 | Mar 28, 2019 |
| Vmware Photon_os | — | Use 'tdnf update' to upgrade all packages to the latest version. | Jan 20, 2025 | Apr 1, 2019 |
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