CVE-2023-5044: K8s.io/ingress nginx Ingress-nginx Code Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fp9f-44c2-cw27
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CVSS 7.6
CWE-94 CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-5044 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.6) ingress-nginx code injection vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting K8s.io/ingress nginx libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves ingress-nginx code injection via nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/permanent-redirect annotation. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.9.0.

CVE-2023-5044 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-5044
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fp9f-44c2-cw27
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.6
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product K8s.io/ingress nginx
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.6

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:H/I:L/A:L).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2023-5044

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: 1.9.0 
Upgrade k8s.io/ingress-nginx to 1.9.0
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-2023-5044, 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 1.9.0), 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. 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

A security issue was identified in [ingress-nginx](https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx) where the nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/permanent-redirect annotation on an Ingress object (in the networking.k8s.io or extensions API group) can be used to inject arbitrary commands, and obtain the credentials of the ingress-nginx controller. In the default configuration, that credential has access to all secrets in the cluster.

CVE-2023-5044 Affected K8s.io/ingress nginx Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.9.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
k8s.io/ingress-nginx
golang/k8s.io/ingress-nginx
Go
< 1.9.0
1.9.0

References

NVD — CVE-2023-5044 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5044
K8s.io/ingress nginx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/issues/10572
K8s.io/ingress nginx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx
K8s.io/ingress nginx Security Information SECURITY
https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/ukuYYvRNel0
K8s.io/ingress nginx Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240307-0012
K8s.io/ingress nginx Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/25/3

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-5044?
CVE-2023-5044 is a security vulnerability in K8s.io/ingress nginx involving Ingress-nginx code injection via nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/permanent-redirect annotation under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which K8s.io/ingress nginx versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.9.0 across affected packages: k8s.io/ingress-nginx.
What version fixes CVE-2023-5044?
Upgrading to 1.9.0 (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 1.9.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.9.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-5044?
CVE-2023-5044 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.6 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-5044?
CVE-2023-5044 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2023-5044?
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-fp9f-44c2-cw27",
  "modified" : "2025-02-13T19:18:23Z",
  "published" : "2023-10-25T21:30:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-5044" ],
  "summary" : "Ingress-nginx code injection via nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/permanent-redirect annotation",
  "details" : "A security issue was identified in [ingress-nginx](https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx) where the nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/permanent-redirect annotation on an Ingress object (in the networking.k8s.io or extensions API group) can be used to inject arbitrary commands, and obtain the credentials of the ingress-nginx controller. In the default configuration, that credential has access to all secrets in the cluster.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/ingress-nginx"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.9.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5044"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/issues/10572"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/ukuYYvRNel0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240307-0012"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/25/3"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-02T16:40:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-10-25T20:15:18Z"
  }
}