CVE-2020-8554: K8s.io/kubernetes Unverified Ownership Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j9wf-vvm6-4r9w
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CVSS 5.0
CWE-283
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-8554 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.0) unverified ownership vulnerability (CWE-283: Unverified Ownership) affecting K8s.io/kubernetes libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves unverified ownership in kubernetes. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-8554 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-8554
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j9wf-vvm6-4r9w
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.0
CWE Classification CWE-283: Unverified Ownership
Affected Product K8s.io/kubernetes
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.0

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-8554

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: Latest secure release 
Upgrade k8s.io/kubernetes 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 k8s.io/kubernetes

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-8554, 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 the patched release), 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-283: Unverified Ownership, where the product does not properly verify that a critical resource is owned by the proper entity. 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 API server in all versions allow an attacker who is able to create a ClusterIP service and set the spec.externalIPs field, to intercept traffic to that IP address. Additionally, an attacker who is able to patch the status (which is considered a privileged operation and should not typically be granted to users) of a LoadBalancer service can set the status.loadBalancer.ingress.ip to similar effect.

CVE-2020-8554 Affected K8s.io/kubernetes Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
k8s.io/kubernetes
golang/k8s.io/kubernetes
Go
≤ 1.22.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-8554 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8554
K8s.io/kubernetes Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/97076
K8s.io/kubernetes Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/97110
K8s.io/kubernetes Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html
K8s.io/kubernetes Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
K8s.io/kubernetes Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdb223e... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdb223e1b82e3d7d8e4eaddce8dd1ab87252e3935cc41c859f49767b6@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdb223e... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdb223e1b82e3d7d8e4eaddce8dd1ab87252e3935cc41c859f49767b6%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcafa48... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcafa485d63550657f068775801aeb706b7a07140a8ebbdef822b3bb3@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcafa48... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcafa485d63550657f068775801aeb706b7a07140a8ebbdef822b3bb3%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r197507... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1975078e44d96f2a199aa90aa874b57a202eaf7f25f2fde6d1c44942@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r197507... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1975078e44d96f2a199aa90aa874b57a202eaf7f25f2fde6d1c44942%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0c76b3... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0c76b3d0be348f788cd947054141de0229af00c540564711e828fd40@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0c76b3... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0c76b3d0be348f788cd947054141de0229af00c540564711e828fd40%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
kubernetes.io/blog/2026/05/26/rec... WEB
https://kubernetes.io/blog/2026/05/26/reconciling-unfixed-kubernetes-cves
K8s.io/kubernetes Security Information SECURITY
https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/iZWsF9nbKE8
K8s.io/kubernetes Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-8554?
CVE-2020-8554 is a security vulnerability in K8s.io/kubernetes involving Unverified Ownership in Kubernetes under CWE-283: Unverified Ownership.
Which K8s.io/kubernetes versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: k8s.io/kubernetes.
What version fixes CVE-2020-8554?
Upgrading to current release patches (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 Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-8554?
CVE-2020-8554 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.0 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-8554?
CVE-2020-8554 is classified under CWE-283: Unverified Ownership (The product does not properly verify that a critical resource is owned by the proper entity.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2020-8554?
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-j9wf-vvm6-4r9w",
  "modified" : "2026-06-09T10:51:30Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-08T21:50:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-8554" ],
  "summary" : "Unverified Ownership in Kubernetes",
  "details" : "Kubernetes API server in all versions allow an attacker who is able to create a ClusterIP service and set the spec.externalIPs field, to intercept traffic to that IP address. Additionally, an attacker who is able to patch the status (which is considered a privileged operation and should not typically be granted to users) of a LoadBalancer service can set the status.loadBalancer.ingress.ip to similar effect.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/kubernetes"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.22.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8554"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/97076"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/97110"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdb223e1b82e3d7d8e4eaddce8dd1ab87252e3935cc41c859f49767b6@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rdb223e1b82e3d7d8e4eaddce8dd1ab87252e3935cc41c859f49767b6%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcafa485d63550657f068775801aeb706b7a07140a8ebbdef822b3bb3@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcafa485d63550657f068775801aeb706b7a07140a8ebbdef822b3bb3%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1975078e44d96f2a199aa90aa874b57a202eaf7f25f2fde6d1c44942@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1975078e44d96f2a199aa90aa874b57a202eaf7f25f2fde6d1c44942%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0c76b3d0be348f788cd947054141de0229af00c540564711e828fd40@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0c76b3d0be348f788cd947054141de0229af00c540564711e828fd40%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://kubernetes.io/blog/2026/05/26/reconciling-unfixed-kubernetes-cves"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/iZWsF9nbKE8"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-283" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-12T21:42:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-01-21T17:15:00Z"
  }
}