What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities
CVE-2019-1002101: kubectl cp path traversal
- Severity: medium (CVSS 5.5 v3.0)
- Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
- EPSS: 12.8% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
- Public exploit or detection template: none known
- Published: 2019-04-01 · updated 2026-06-17
- Weakness: CWE-59
Description
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes creates a tar inside the container, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user’s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user’s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. The untar function can both create and follow symbolic links. The issue is resolved in kubectl v1.11.9, v1.12.7, v1.13.5, and v1.14.0.
Affected products
- Kubernetes: from 1.11.0 before 1.11.9; from 1.12.0 before 1.12.7; from 1.13.0 before 1.13.5; 1.14.0 — fixed in 1.11.9, 1.12.7, 1.13.5
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.18: 3.9, 3.10, 3.11
How to fix
Upgrade to a fixed version: Kubernetes 1.11.9, 1.12.7, 1.13.5. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/06/21/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/08/05/5
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107652
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:0619
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:0620
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2019:0636
- https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/75037
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/BPV2RE5RMOGUVP5WJMXKQJZUBBLAFZPZ/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QZB7E3DOZ5WDG46XAIU6K32CXHXPXB2F/
- https://www.twistlock.com/labs-blog/disclosing-directory-traversal-vulnerability-kubernetes-copy-cve-2019-1002101/
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2019-1002101
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/06/21/1
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