What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities
CVE-2026-19444: Kubernetes kubectl cp path traversal on Windows allows arbitrary file writes
- Severity: medium (CVSS 6.5 v3.1)
- Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
- EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
- Public exploit or detection template: none known
- Published: 2026-09-28 · updated 2026-09-29
- Weakness: CWE-22
Description
A path traversal vulnerability was discovered in the Kubernetes kubectl client's kubectl cp command on Windows. When copying files from a container, kubectl runs tar inside the container to build a tar archive, transfers it over the network, and unpacks it on the local machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it can execute arbitrary code and emit unexpected output, allowing an attacker who controls container contents to write files to arbitrary paths on the user's local machine when kubectl cp is invoked, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. This issue only affects kubectl clients running on Windows.
Affected products
- Kubernetes: from v1.36.0 through v1.36.4; from v1.35.0 through v1.35.8; from v1.34.0 through v1.34.11
References
- https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/141294
- https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/141296
- https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/v_ob5Gf4-eY
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/09/28/1
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