CVE-2024-9594 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.3) Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability in github.com/kubernetes-sigs/image-builder. A fix is available for github.com/kubernetes-sigs/image-builder — see the affected versions and patch details below.
VM images built with Image Builder with some providers use default credentials during builds
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2024-9594.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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
github.com/kubernetes-sigs/image-builderReal-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
A security issue was discovered in the Kubernetes Image Builder versions <= v0.1.37 where default credentials are enabled during the image build process when using the Nutanix, OVA, QEMU or raw providers. The credentials can be used to gain root access. The credentials are disabled at the conclusion of the image build process. Kubernetes clusters are only affected if their nodes use VM images created via the Image Builder project. Because these images were vulnerable during the image build process, they are affected only if an attacker was able to reach the VM where the image build was happening and used the vulnerability to modify the image at the time the image build was occurring.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/kubernetes-sigs/image-builder | all versions | 0.1.38go get github.com/kubernetes-sigs/image-builder@v0.1.38 |
Affected Products
image builderkubernetes-sigsDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/kubernetes-sigs/image-builder, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/kubernetes-sigs/image-builder to 0.1.38 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2024-9594 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2024-9594 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.