CVE-2020-8553: K8s.io/ingress nginx Ingress-nginx Component For Kubernetes Allows Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hhpm-74pm-hf35
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CVSS 5.9
CWE-610 CWE-73
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-8553 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) ingress-nginx component for kubernetes allows vulnerability (CWE-610: Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere) affecting K8s.io/ingress nginx libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves ingress-nginx component for kubernetes allows file overwrite. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.28.0.

CVE-2020-8553 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-8553
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hhpm-74pm-hf35
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-610: Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere
Affected Product K8s.io/ingress nginx
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-8553

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected K8s.io/ingress nginx 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/ingress-nginx fixed: 0.28.0 
Upgrade k8s.io/ingress-nginx to 0.28.0
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/ingress-nginx

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-8553, inspect your project dependencies for K8s.io/ingress nginx:

inspect dependencies for k8s.io/ingress-nginx

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of K8s.io/ingress nginx in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.28.0), 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-610: Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere, where the product uses an externally controlled name or reference that resolves to a resource that is outside of the intended control sphere. In K8s.io/ingress nginx, 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 ingress-nginx component prior to version 0.28.0 allows a user with the ability to create namespaces and to read and create ingress objects to overwrite the password file of another ingress which uses nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/auth-type: basic and which has a hyphenated namespace or secret name.

CVE-2020-8553 Affected K8s.io/ingress nginx Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.28.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
k8s.io/ingress-nginx
golang/k8s.io/ingress-nginx
Go
< 0.28.0
0.28.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-8553 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8553
K8s.io/ingress nginx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/issues/5126
K8s.io/ingress nginx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-8553?
CVE-2020-8553 is a security vulnerability in K8s.io/ingress nginx involving ingress-nginx component for Kubernetes allows file overwrite under CWE-610: Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere.
Which K8s.io/ingress nginx versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.28.0 across affected packages: k8s.io/ingress-nginx.
What version fixes CVE-2020-8553?
Upgrading to 0.28.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is k8s.io/ingress-nginx affected?
Yes, k8s.io/ingress-nginx is affected in releases prior to 0.28.0. Upgrade your dependency to 0.28.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-8553?
CVE-2020-8553 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-8553?
CVE-2020-8553 is classified under CWE-610: Externally Controlled Reference to a Resource in Another Sphere (The product uses an externally controlled name or reference that resolves to a resource that is outside of the intended control sphere.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2020-8553?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for k8s.io/ingress-nginx'. 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-hhpm-74pm-hf35",
  "modified" : "2023-08-22T14:35:45Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:24:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-8553" ],
  "summary" : "ingress-nginx component for Kubernetes allows file overwrite",
  "details" : "The Kubernetes ingress-nginx component prior to version 0.28.0 allows a user with the ability to create namespaces and to read and create ingress objects to overwrite the password file of another ingress which uses nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/auth-type: basic and which has a hyphenated namespace or secret name.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/ingress-nginx"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.28.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8553"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/issues/5126"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-610", "CWE-73" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-13T21:00:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-07-29T15:15:00Z"
  }
}