CVE-2025-48056: Github.com/cilium/hubble Character Injection Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-274q-79q9-52j7
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-48056 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) character injection vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Github.com/cilium/hubble libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves character injection in hubble cli. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.17.2.

CVE-2025-48056 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-48056
GHSA Identifier GHSA-274q-79q9-52j7
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Github.com/cilium/hubble
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:N/I:L/A:N).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2025-48056

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

github.com/cilium/hubble fixed: 1.17.2 
Upgrade github.com/cilium/hubble to 1.17.2
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 github.com/cilium/hubble

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2025-48056, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/cilium/hubble:

inspect dependencies for github.com/cilium/hubble

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/cilium/hubble in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.17.2), 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-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. In Github.com/cilium/hubble, 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

### Impact A network attacker could inject malicious control characters into Hubble CLI terminal output, potentially leading to loss of integrity and manipulation of the output. This could be leveraged to conceal log entries, rewrite output, or even make the terminal temporarily unusable. Exploitation of this attack would require the victim to be monitoring Kafka traffic using [Layer 7 Protocol Visibility](https://docs.cilium.io/en/stable/observability/visibility/#layer-7-protocol-visibility) at the time of the attack. ### Patches This issue affects all versions of Hubble CLI before v1.17.2. The issue is patched in Hubble CLI v1.17.2, via https://github.com/cilium/cilium/pull/37401. ### Workarounds Hubble CLI users who are unable to upgrade can direct their Hubble flows to a log file and inspect the output within a text editor. ### Acknowledgements The Cilium community has worked together with members of Isovalent and the Cisco ASIG team to prepare these mitigations. Special thanks to @bipierce-cisco and @kokelley-cisco for reporting the issue and to @devodev for the fix. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please reach out on [Slack](https://docs.cilium.io/en/latest/community/community/#slack). If you think you have found a vulnerability affecting Cilium, we strongly encourage you to report it to our security mailing list at [security@cilium.io](mailto:security@cilium.io). This is a private mailing list for the Cilium security team, and your report will be treated as top priority.

CVE-2025-48056 Affected Github.com/cilium/hubble Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.17.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/cilium/hubble
golang/github.com/cilium/hubble
Go
< 1.17.2
1.17.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/cilium/hubble/security/advisories/GHSA-274q-79q9-52j7
NVD — CVE-2025-48056 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-48056
Github.com/cilium/hubble Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/cilium/cilium/pull/37401
Github.com/cilium/hubble Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/cilium/hubble

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-48056?
CVE-2025-48056 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/cilium/hubble involving Character injection in Hubble CLI under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Github.com/cilium/hubble versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.17.2 across affected packages: github.com/cilium/hubble.
What version fixes CVE-2025-48056?
Upgrading to 1.17.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/cilium/hubble affected?
Yes, github.com/cilium/hubble is affected in releases prior to 1.17.2. Upgrade your dependency to 1.17.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-48056?
CVE-2025-48056 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-48056?
CVE-2025-48056 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2025-48056?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/cilium/hubble'. 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-274q-79q9-52j7",
  "modified" : "2025-05-21T17:16:19Z",
  "published" : "2025-05-21T17:16:19Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-48056" ],
  "summary" : "Character injection in Hubble CLI",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nA network attacker could inject malicious control characters into Hubble CLI terminal output, potentially leading to loss of integrity and manipulation of the output. This could be leveraged to conceal log entries, rewrite output, or even make the terminal temporarily unusable. Exploitation of this attack would require the victim to be monitoring Kafka traffic using [Layer 7 Protocol Visibility](https://docs.cilium.io/en/stable/observability/visibility/#layer-7-protocol-visibility) at the time of the attack.\n\n### Patches\n\nThis issue affects all versions of Hubble CLI before v1.17.2. The issue is patched in Hubble CLI v1.17.2, via https://github.com/cilium/cilium/pull/37401.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nHubble CLI users who are unable to upgrade can direct their Hubble flows to a log file and inspect the output within a text editor.\n\n### Acknowledgements\n\nThe Cilium community has worked together with members of Isovalent and the Cisco ASIG team to prepare these mitigations. Special thanks to @bipierce-cisco and @kokelley-cisco for reporting the issue and to @devodev for the fix.\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please reach out on [Slack](https://docs.cilium.io/en/latest/community/community/#slack).\n\nIf you think you have found a vulnerability affecting Cilium, we strongly encourage you to report it to our security mailing list at [security@cilium.io](mailto:security@cilium.io). This is a private mailing list for the Cilium security team, and your report will be treated as top priority.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/cilium/hubble"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.17.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/cilium/hubble/security/advisories/GHSA-274q-79q9-52j7"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-48056"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/cilium/cilium/pull/37401"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/cilium/hubble"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-21T17:16:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-05-20T20:15:42Z"
  }
}