CVE-2017-1000056: K8s.io/kubernetes Kubernetes Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2jx2-76rc-2v7v
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-862
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-1000056 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) kubernetes privilege escalation vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) affecting K8s.io/kubernetes libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves kubernetes privilege escalation. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.5.

CVE-2017-1000056 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-1000056
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2jx2-76rc-2v7v
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Affected Product K8s.io/kubernetes
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2017-1000056

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: 1.5.5 
Upgrade k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.5.5
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-2017-1000056, 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 1.5.5), 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-862: Missing Authorization, where the product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. 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

Kubernetes version 1.5.0-1.5.4 is vulnerable to a privilege escalation in the PodSecurityPolicy admission plugin resulting in the ability to make use of any existing PodSecurityPolicy object.

CVE-2017-1000056 Affected K8s.io/kubernetes Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
k8s.io/kubernetes
golang/k8s.io/kubernetes
Go
≥ 1.5.0
< 1.5.5
1.5.5

References

NVD — CVE-2017-1000056 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-1000056
K8s.io/kubernetes Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/43459
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/commit/7fef0a4f6a44ea36f166c39fdade5324eff2dd5e
K8s.io/kubernetes Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-1000056?
CVE-2017-1000056 is a security vulnerability in K8s.io/kubernetes involving Kubernetes Privilege Escalation under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Which K8s.io/kubernetes versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5.5 across affected packages: k8s.io/kubernetes.
What version fixes CVE-2017-1000056?
Upgrading to 1.5.5 (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 1.5.5. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-1000056?
CVE-2017-1000056 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-1000056?
CVE-2017-1000056 is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization (The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2017-1000056?
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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2jx2-76rc-2v7v",
  "modified" : "2023-09-18T19:38:35Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-12T18:16:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-1000056" ],
  "summary" : "Kubernetes Privilege Escalation",
  "details" : "Kubernetes version 1.5.0-1.5.4 is vulnerable to a privilege escalation in the PodSecurityPolicy admission plugin resulting in the ability to make use of any existing PodSecurityPolicy object.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/kubernetes"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.5.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-1000056"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/43459"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/commit/7fef0a4f6a44ea36f166c39fdade5324eff2dd5e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-08T00:01:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}