CVE-2019-11245
HIGHCVE-2019-11245 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) CWE-703 vulnerability in k8s.io/kubernetes/cmd/kubelet. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2019-11245 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Kubelet Incorrect Privilege Assignment
Blast Radius
k8s.io/kubernetes/cmd/kubelet🐹k8s.io/kubernetes/cmd/kubeletReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
In kubelet v1.13.6 and v1.14.2, containers for pods that do not specify an explicit runAsUser attempt to run as uid 0 (root) on container restart, or if the image was previously pulled to the node. If the pod specified mustRunAsNonRoot: true, the kubelet will refuse to start the container as root. If the pod did not specify mustRunAsNonRoot: true, the kubelet will run the container as uid 0.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes/cmd/kubelet | ≥ 1.14.0&&< 1.14.3 | 1.14.3 |
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes/cmd/kubelet | ≥ 1.13.0&&< 1.13.7 | 1.13.7 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for k8s.io/kubernetes/cmd/kubelet. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update k8s.io/kubernetes/cmd/kubelet to 1.14.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-11245 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2019-11245 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2019-11245. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2019-11245 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2019-11245 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.