CVE-2019-11255 — external-provisioner
MEDIUMCVE-2019-11255 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner. A fix is available for github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Kubernetes CSI Sidecar Containers Can Allow Unauthorized Data Access
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2019-11255 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner🐹github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner🐹github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner🐹github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner🐹github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner🐹github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-snapshotter/v6🐹github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-snapshotter/v6🐹github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-snapshotter/v6+2 moreReal-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
Improper input validation in Kubernetes CSI sidecar containers for external-provisioner (<v0.4.3, <v1.0.2, v1.1, <v1.2.2, <v1.3.1), external-snapshotter (<v0.4.2, <v1.0.2, v1.1, <1.2.2), and external-resizer (v0.1, v0.2) could result in unauthorized PersistentVolume data access or volume mutation during snapshot, restore from snapshot, cloning and resizing operations.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner | all versions | 0.4.3go get github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner@v0.4.3 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner | ≥ 1.0.0&&< 1.0.2 | 1.0.2go get github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner@v1.0.2 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner | all versions | No fix |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner | ≥ 1.2.0&&< 1.2.2 | 1.2.2go get github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner@v1.2.2 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner | ≥ 1.3.0&&< 1.3.1 | 1.3.1go get github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner@v1.3.1 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-snapshotter/v6 | ≥ 1.0.0&&< 1.0.2 | 1.0.2go get github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-snapshotter/v6@v1.0.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-provisioner to 0.4.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-11255 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2019-11255 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2019-11255. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
OpenShift Container Storage Interface (CSI) is a Technology Preview (TP) feature in OpenShift Container Platform before version 4.2. https://access.redhat.com/support/offerings/techpreview
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.11 | openshift-external-storage-0:0.0.2-10.gitd3c94f0.el7 | RHSA-2019:4054 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.1 | openshift-external-storage-0:0.0.2-11.gitd3c94f0.el7 | RHSA-2019:4225 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.2 | openshift-external-storage-0:0.0.2-11.gitd3c94f0.el7 | RHSA-2019:4096 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.2 | openshift4/ose-csi-external-provisioner-rhel7:v4.2.10-201912022352 | RHSA-2019:4099 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2019-11255 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2019-11255 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.