How severe is CVE-2020-8554?

CVE-2020-8554 has a CVSS score of 5/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-8554?

CVE-2020-8554 affects the following packages: k8s.io/kubernetes (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2020-8554?

The records we use list no patched version of k8s.io/kubernetes for CVE-2020-8554. Check the maintainer's advisory, and where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range.

How do I detect CVE-2020-8554 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for k8s.io/kubernetes, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-8554 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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.

Is CVE-2020-8554 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2020-8554, including 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2020-8554?

CVE-2020-8554 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 8.7%, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2020-8554?

CVE-2020-8554 is classified as CWE-283 (CWE-283). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2020-8554 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-8554 was published on January 21, 2021 and was last updated on October 20, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐹

🐹 Go

Not in CISA KEV

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2020-8554 — kubernetes

MEDIUM

CVE-2020-8554 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5) CWE-283 vulnerability in k8s.io/kubernetes. 3 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. The records list no fixed version yet; check the vendor advisory below and apply the mitigations in the meantime.

Unverified Ownership in Kubernetes

Also known asGHSA-j9wf-vvm6-4r9w

Published

Jan 21, 2021

Updated

Oct 20, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

3 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 8, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

8.7%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs95th percentile — riskier than 95% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐹k8s.io/kubernetes

Real-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

Kubernetes API server in all versions allow an attacker who is able to create a ClusterIP service and set the spec.externalIPs field, to intercept traffic to that IP address. Additionally, an attacker who is able to patch the status (which is considered a privileged operation and should not typically be granted to users) of a LoadBalancer service can set the status.loadBalancer.ingress.ip to similar effect.

Affected Packages

1 total

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`k8s.io/kubernetes`	all versions	No fix

Affected Products

4 products · 4 configurations

Application

kuberneteskubernetes

all

Application

communications cloud native core network slice selection functionoracle

1 version

1.2.1

Application

communications cloud native core policyoracle

1 version

1.15.0

Application

communications cloud native core service communication proxyoracle

1 version

1.14.0

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Kubernetes API server in all versions allow an attacker who is able to c…

github.comNVDJul 2021

Report on github.com

github.comGithubDec 2020

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for k8s.io/kubernetes, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
The records we use list no patched version of k8s.io/kubernetes for CVE-2020-8554. Check the maintainer's advisory, and where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range.
Mitigate without a patch
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.

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.

Red HatModerate

OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) includes a builtin externalIP admission plugin, which restricts the use of Service eternalIPs to those configured by a cluster-admin. In OCP4 all externalIP ranges are disabled by default. In OCP 3.11, the default range is "0.0.0.0/0", which allows all IP addresses. The second attack…

Workaround published by Red Hat

ExternalIP addresses ranges can be configured as described below. OCP 4 is secure by default, though cluster-admins can whitelist externalIP addresses as needed. OCP 3.11 can be secured by changing `externalIPNetworkCIDR` to "0.0.0.0/32", which blocks all externalIP address values. https://docs.openshift.com/container-platform/4.6/networking/configuring_ingress_cluster_traffic/configuring-externalip.html https://docs.openshift.com/container-platform/3.11/admin_guide/tcp_ingress_external_ports.html#service-externalip Users can check if they have permission to patch the Status of a LoadBalancer Service with the command: `kubectl auth can-i patch service --subresource=status`. In OCP, by…

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2020-8554 (CC BY 4.0)

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.11	`atomic-openshift-0:3.11.374-1.git.0.ebd3ee9.el7`	RHSA-2021:0079

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2020-8554 in your dependencies?

Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVE-2020-8554 — kubernetes

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

Description

Affected Packages

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

Fixing This On Your OS

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2020-8554 in your dependencies?