GHSA-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc — flux2
CRITICALGHSA-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.9) Code Injection vulnerability in github.com/fluxcd/flux2. A fix is available for github.com/fluxcd/flux2 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper kubeconfig validation allows arbitrary code execution
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-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc.
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.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,333 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/fluxcd/flux2🐹github.com/fluxcd/kustomize-controller🐹github.com/fluxcd/helm-controllerReal-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
Flux2 can reconcile the state of a remote cluster when provided with a kubeconfig with the correct access rights. Kubeconfig files can define commands to be executed to generate on-demand authentication tokens. A malicious user with write access to a Flux source or direct access to the target cluster, could craft a kubeconfig to execute arbitrary code inside the controller’s container.
In multi-tenancy deployments this can also lead to privilege escalation if the controller's service account has elevated permissions.
Impact
Within the affected versions range, one of the permissions set below would be required for the vulnerability to be exploited:
- Direct access to the cluster to create Flux
KustomizationorHelmReleaseobjects and Kubernetes Secrets. - Direct access to the cluster to modify existing Kubernetes secrets being used as
kubeconfigin existing FluxKustomizationorHelmReleaseobjects. - Direct access to the cluster to modify existing Flux
KustomizationorHelmReleaseobjects and access to create or modify existing Kubernetes secrets. - Access rights to make changes to a configured Flux Source (i.e. Git repository).
Patches
This vulnerability was fixed in kustomize-controller v0.23.0 and helm-controller v0.19.0, both included in flux2 v0.29.0. Starting from the fixed versions, both controllers disable the use of command execution from kubeconfig files by default, users have to opt-in by adding the flag --insecure-kubeconfig-exec to the controller’s command arguments. Users are no longer allowed to refer to files in the controller’s filesystem in the kubeconfig files provided for the remote apply feature.
Workarounds
- The functionality can be disabled via Validating Admission webhooks (e.g. OPA Gatekeeper, Kyverno) by restricting users from being able to set the
spec.kubeConfigfield in FluxKustomizationandHelmReleaseobjects. - Applying restrictive AppArmor and SELinux profiles on the controller’s pod to limit what binaries can be executed.
Credits
The Flux engineering team found and patched this vulnerability.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory please open an issue in the flux2 repository.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/fluxcd/flux2 | ≥ 0.1.0&&< 0.29.0 | 0.29.0go get github.com/fluxcd/flux2@v0.29.0 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/fluxcd/kustomize-controller | ≥ 0.1.0&&< 0.23.0 | 0.23.0go get github.com/fluxcd/kustomize-controller@v0.23.0 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller | ≥ 0.2.0&&< 0.19.0 | 0.19.0go get github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller@v0.19.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/fluxcd/flux2, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/fluxcd/flux2 to 0.29.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-vvmq-fwmg-2gjc across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.