CVE-2021-25735: K8s.io/kubernetes Access Restriction Bypass Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g42g-737j-qx6j
CVSS 6.5
CWE-284 CWE-372 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-25735 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) access restriction bypass vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting K8s.io/kubernetes libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves access restriction bypass in kube-apiserver. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.20.6, 1.19.10, 1.18.18.

CVE-2021-25735 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-25735
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g42g-737j-qx6j
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product K8s.io/kubernetes
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-25735

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected K8s.io/kubernetes dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

k8s.io/kubernetes fixed: 1.20.6
Upgrade k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.20.6
k8s.io/kubernetes fixed: 1.19.10
Upgrade k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.19.10
k8s.io/kubernetes fixed: 1.18.18
Upgrade k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.18.18
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

inspect dependencies for k8s.io/kubernetes

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-25735, inspect your project dependencies for K8s.io/kubernetes:

inspect dependencies for k8s.io/kubernetes

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of K8s.io/kubernetes in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.20.6), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In K8s.io/kubernetes, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A vulnerability in Kubernetes `kube-apiserver` could allow node updates to bypass a _Validating Admission Webhook_ and allow unauthorized node updates. The information that is provided to the admission controller could contain old configurations that overwrite values used for validation. Since the overwriting takes place before the validation, this could lead the admission controller to accept requests that should be blocked. The vulnerability can be exploited when an update action on node resources is performed and an admission controller is in place and configured to validate the action. Users are only affected by this vulnerability if they are running a _Validating Admission Webhook_ for Nodes that denies admission based partially on the old state of the Node object. It only impacts validating admission plugins that rely on old values in certain fields and does not impact calls from kubelets that go through the built-in NodeRestriction admission plugin.

CVE-2021-25735 Affected K8s.io/kubernetes Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.20.61.19.101.18.18
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
k8s.io/kubernetes
Go
≥ 1.20.0
< 1.20.6
1.20.6
k8s.io/kubernetes
Go
≥ 1.19.0
< 1.19.10
1.19.10
k8s.io/kubernetes
Go
< 1.18.18
1.18.18

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-25735?
CVE-2021-25735 is a security vulnerability in K8s.io/kubernetes involving Access Restriction Bypass in kube-apiserver under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which K8s.io/kubernetes versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.20.6, 1.19.10, 1.18.18 across affected packages: k8s.io/kubernetes.
What version fixes CVE-2021-25735?
Upgrading to 1.20.6, 1.19.10, 1.18.18 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is k8s.io/kubernetes affected?
Yes, k8s.io/kubernetes is affected in releases prior to 1.20.6, 1.19.10, 1.18.18. Upgrade your dependency to 1.20.6, 1.19.10, 1.18.18 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-25735?
CVE-2021-25735 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-25735?
CVE-2021-25735 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2021-25735?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for k8s.io/kubernetes'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-g42g-737j-qx6j",
  "modified" : "2022-03-22T18:43:41Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-28T19:49:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-25735" ],
  "summary" : "Access Restriction Bypass in kube-apiserver",
  "details" : "A vulnerability in Kubernetes `kube-apiserver` could allow node updates to bypass a _Validating Admission Webhook_ and allow unauthorized node updates. The information that is provided to the admission controller could contain old configurations that overwrite values used for validation. Since the overwriting takes place before the validation, this could lead the admission controller to accept requests that should be blocked. The vulnerability can be exploited when an update action on node resources is performed and an admission controller is in place and configured to validate the action.\n\nUsers are only affected by this vulnerability if they are running a _Validating Admission Webhook_ for Nodes that denies admission based partially on the old state of the Node object. It only impacts validating admission plugins that rely on old values in certain fields and does not impact calls from kubelets that go through the built-in NodeRestriction admission plugin.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/kubernetes"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.20.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.20.6"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.20.5"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/kubernetes"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.19.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.19.10"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.19.9"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/kubernetes"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.18.18"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.18.17"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25735"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/100096"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/99946"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/commit/00e81db174ef7aca497be5f42d87e46d14df2a90"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1937562"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/FKAGqT4jx9Y"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pkg.go.dev/k8s.io/kubernetes@v1.23.5/cmd/kube-apiserver"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://sysdig.com/blog/cve-2021-25735-kubernetes-admission-bypass"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284", "CWE-372", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-03-22T18:25:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-09-06T12:15:00Z"
  }
}