CVE-2020-8555
MEDIUMServer Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in Kubernetes
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.
Blast Radius
k8s.io/kubernetes🐹k8s.io/kubernetes🐹k8s.io/kubernetes🐹k8s.io/kubernetesReal-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
The Kubernetes kube-controller-manager in versions v1.0-1.14, versions prior to v1.15.12, v1.16.9, v1.17.5, and version v1.18.0 are vulnerable to a Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) that allows certain authorized users to leak up to 500 bytes of arbitrary information from unprotected endpoints within the master's host network (such as link-local or loopback services).
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | ≥ 1.18.0&&< 1.18.1 | 1.18.1 |
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | ≥ 1.17.0&&< 1.17.4 | 1.17.4 |
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | ≥ 1.16.0&&< 1.16.9 | 1.16.9 |
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | all versions | 1.15.12 |
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. 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 to 1.18.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-8555 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-2020-8555 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-2020-8555. 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-2020-8555 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2020-8555 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.