Kubernetes Nil pointer dereference in KCM after v1 HPA patch requestGHSA-h7wq-jj8r-qm7p
HIGHFix: openshift/kubernetes#1876GHSA-h7wq-jj8r-qm7p is a high-severity (CVSS 7.7) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in k8s.io/kubernetes. A fix is available for k8s.io/kubernetes — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- 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-h7wq-jj8r-qm7p.
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/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
A flaw was found in kube-controller-manager. This issue occurs when the initial application of a HPA config YAML lacking a .spec.behavior.scaleUp block causes a denial of service due to KCM pods going into restart churn.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | all versions | 1.27.0-alpha.1go get k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.27.0-alpha.1 |
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 1.27.0-alpha.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-h7wq-jj8r-qm7p is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
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.
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.Source: Red Hat security advisory for GHSA-h7wq-jj8r-qm7p (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 | openshift-0:4.12.0-202403042037.p0.g9946c63.assembly.stream.el8 | RHSA-2024:1267 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.13 | openshift4/ose-cluster-kube-controller-manager-operator:v4.13.0-202402011837.p0.gdac7113.assembly.stream | RHSA-2024:0741 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-h7wq-jj8r-qm7p in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.