Kubernetes kubelet arbitrary command executionGHSA-27wf-5967-98gx
HIGHFix: kubernetes/kubernetes@1ab06efGHSA-27wf-5967-98gx is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) Path Traversal vulnerability in k8s.io/kubernetes. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for k8s.io/kubernetes — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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 GHSA-27wf-5967-98gx.
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
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 kubelet component allows arbitrary command execution via specially crafted gitRepo volumes.This issue affects kubelet: through 1.28.11, from 1.29.0 through 1.29.6, from 1.30.0 through 1.30.2.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | all versions | 1.28.12go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.28.12 |
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | ≥ 1.29.0&&< 1.29.7 | 1.29.7go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.29.7 |
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | ≥ 1.30.0&&< 1.30.3 | 1.30.3go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.30.3 |
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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.28.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-27wf-5967-98gx is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.
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.
This vulnerability is classified as important severity due to its potential to allow arbitrary command execution beyond the container boundary, which can lead to severe security breaches. By leveraging the hooks folder in the target repository associated with the gitRepo volume, an attacker can execute commands on the…
Users can restrict the usage of gitRepo volumes in their cluster using policies such as `ValidatingAdmissionPolicy`. The following CEL expression can be used as part of the policy to restrict the use of gitRepo volumes: ~~~ has(object.spec.volumes) || !object.spec.volumes.exists(v, has(v.gitRepo)) ~~Source: Red Hat security advisory for GHSA-27wf-5967-98gx (CC BY 4.0)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-27wf-5967-98gx in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.