CVE-2019-11254: Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wxc4-f4m6-wwqv
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-1050
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-11254 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-1050: Excessive Platform Resource Consumption within a Loop) affecting Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves excessive platform resource consumption within a loop in kubernetes. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.2.8.

CVE-2019-11254 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-11254
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wxc4-f4m6-wwqv
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-1050: Excessive Platform Resource Consumption within a Loop
Affected Product Gopkg.in/yaml.v2
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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2019-11254

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

gopkg.in/yaml.v2 fixed: 2.2.8 
Upgrade gopkg.in/yaml.v2 to 2.2.8
github.com/go-yaml/yaml fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade github.com/go-yaml/yaml to Latest secure release
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 gopkg.in/yaml.v2

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2019-11254, inspect your project dependencies for Gopkg.in/yaml.v2:

inspect dependencies for gopkg.in/yaml.v2

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.2.8), 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-1050: Excessive Platform Resource Consumption within a Loop, where the product has a loop body or loop condition that contains a control element that directly or indirectly consumes platform resources, e.g. messaging, sessions, locks, or file descriptors. In Gopkg.in/yaml.v2, 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

The Kubernetes API Server component in versions 1.1-1.14, and versions prior to 1.15.10, 1.16.7 and 1.17.3 allows an authorized user who sends malicious YAML payloads to cause the kube-apiserver to consume excessive CPU cycles while parsing YAML.

CVE-2019-11254 Affected Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.2.8
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
gopkg.in/yaml.v2
golang/gopkg.in/yaml.v2
Go
< 2.2.8
2.2.8
github.com/go-yaml/yaml
golang/github.com/go-yaml/yaml
Go
≤ 2.1.0

References

NVD — CVE-2019-11254 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11254
Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/89535
Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/go-yaml/yaml/pull/555
Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/87467/commits/b86df2bec4f377afc0ca03482ffad2f0a49a83b8
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/go-yaml/yaml/commit/53403b58ad1b561927d19068c655246f2db79d48
bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/d... WEB
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=18496
groups.google.com/d/msg/kubernetes-an... WEB
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/kubernetes-announce/ALL9s73E5ck/4yHe8J-PBAAJ
pkg.go.dev/vuln/go-2020-0036 WEB
https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2020-0036
Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200413-0003

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-11254?
CVE-2019-11254 is a security vulnerability in Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 involving Excessive Platform Resource Consumption within a Loop in Kubernetes under CWE-1050: Excessive Platform Resource Consumption within a Loop.
Which Gopkg.in/yaml.v2 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.2.8 across affected packages: gopkg.in/yaml.v2, github.com/go-yaml/yaml.
What version fixes CVE-2019-11254?
Upgrading to 2.2.8 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is gopkg.in/yaml.v2 affected?
Yes, gopkg.in/yaml.v2 is affected in releases prior to 2.2.8. Upgrade your dependency to 2.2.8 or later.
Is github.com/go-yaml/yaml affected?
Yes, github.com/go-yaml/yaml is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-11254?
CVE-2019-11254 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-11254?
CVE-2019-11254 is classified under CWE-1050: Excessive Platform Resource Consumption within a Loop (The product has a loop body or loop condition that contains a control element that directly or indirectly consumes platform resources, e.g. messaging, sessions, locks, or file descriptors.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2019-11254?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for gopkg.in/yaml.v2'. 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-wxc4-f4m6-wwqv",
  "modified" : "2023-02-09T17:45:10Z",
  "published" : "2021-12-20T16:55:06Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-11254" ],
  "summary" : "Excessive Platform Resource Consumption within a Loop in Kubernetes",
  "details" : "The Kubernetes API Server component in versions 1.1-1.14, and versions prior to 1.15.10, 1.16.7 and 1.17.3 allows an authorized user who sends malicious YAML payloads to cause the kube-apiserver to consume excessive CPU cycles while parsing YAML.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.2.8"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/go-yaml/yaml"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "2.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11254"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/89535"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/go-yaml/yaml/pull/555"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/87467/commits/b86df2bec4f377afc0ca03482ffad2f0a49a83b8"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/go-yaml/yaml/commit/53403b58ad1b561927d19068c655246f2db79d48"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=18496"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/d/msg/kubernetes-announce/ALL9s73E5ck/4yHe8J-PBAAJ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2020-0036"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200413-0003"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1050" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-07T17:24:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}