CVE-2025-1974: K8s.io/ingress nginx Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mgvx-rpfc-9mpv
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-653
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-1974 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-653: Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization) affecting K8s.io/ingress nginx libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves ingress-nginx admission controller rce escalation. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.11.5, 1.12.1.

CVE-2025-1974 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-1974
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mgvx-rpfc-9mpv
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-653: Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization
Affected Product K8s.io/ingress nginx
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-2025-1974

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: 1.11.5 
Upgrade k8s.io/ingress-nginx to 1.11.5
k8s.io/ingress-nginx fixed: 1.12.1 
Upgrade k8s.io/ingress-nginx to 1.12.1
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-2025-1974, 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 1.11.5), 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-653: Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization, where the product does not properly compartmentalize or isolate functionality, processes, or resources that require different privilege levels, rights, or permissions. 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 discovered in Kubernetes where under certain conditions, an unauthenticated attacker with access to the pod network can achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the ingress-nginx controller. This can lead to disclosure of Secrets accessible to the controller. (Note that in the default installation, the controller can access all Secrets cluster-wide.)

CVE-2025-1974 Affected K8s.io/ingress nginx Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.11.51.12.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
k8s.io/ingress-nginx
golang/k8s.io/ingress-nginx
Go
< 1.11.5
1.11.5
k8s.io/ingress-nginx
golang/k8s.io/ingress-nginx
Go
≥ 1.12.0-beta.0
< 1.12.1
1.12.1

References

NVD — CVE-2025-1974 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-1974
K8s.io/ingress nginx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/131009
K8s.io/ingress nginx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/B1ack4sh/Blackash-CVE-2025-1974
K8s.io/ingress nginx Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx
K8s.io/ingress nginx Release RELEASE
https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/releases/tag/controller-v1.11.5
K8s.io/ingress nginx Release RELEASE
https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/releases/tag/controller-v1.12.1
K8s.io/ingress nginx Security Information SECURITY
https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/2qa9DFtN0cQ
https//github.com/kuberne... WEB
https://https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/131009
K8s.io/ingress nginx Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250328-0008
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/52475 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/52475

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-1974?
CVE-2025-1974 is a security vulnerability in K8s.io/ingress nginx involving ingress-nginx admission controller RCE escalation under CWE-653: Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization.
Which K8s.io/ingress nginx versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.11.5, 1.12.1 across affected packages: k8s.io/ingress-nginx.
What version fixes CVE-2025-1974?
Upgrading to 1.11.5, 1.12.1 (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 1.11.5, 1.12.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.11.5, 1.12.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-1974?
CVE-2025-1974 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-2025-1974?
CVE-2025-1974 is classified under CWE-653: Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization (The product does not properly compartmentalize or isolate functionality, processes, or resources that require different privilege levels, rights, or permissions.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2025-1974?
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-mgvx-rpfc-9mpv",
  "modified" : "2026-02-04T21:49:40Z",
  "published" : "2025-03-25T00:30:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-1974" ],
  "summary" : "ingress-nginx admission controller RCE escalation",
  "details" : "A security issue was discovered in Kubernetes where under certain conditions, an unauthenticated attacker with access to the pod network can achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the ingress-nginx controller. This can lead to disclosure of Secrets accessible to the controller. (Note that in the default installation, the controller can access all Secrets cluster-wide.)",
  "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/ingress-nginx"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.11.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "k8s.io/ingress-nginx"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.12.0-beta.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.12.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-1974"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/131009"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/B1ack4sh/Blackash-CVE-2025-1974"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/releases/tag/controller-v1.11.5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/releases/tag/controller-v1.12.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/2qa9DFtN0cQ"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/131009"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20250328-0008"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/52475"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-653" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-03-25T15:10:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-03-25T00:15:14Z"
  }
}