CVE-2020-8562: Bypass of Kubernetes API Server proxy TOCTOU
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 12/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.1% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 67.7% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
- Fixed version: kubernetes (Debian:12) 1.20.5+really1.20.2-1; govulncheck-vulndb (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 0.0.20250807T150727-1.1.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to kubernetes (Debian:12) 1.20.5+really1.20.2-1; govulncheck-vulndb (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 0.0.20250807T150727-1.1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
As mitigations to a report from 2019 and CVE-2020-8555, Kubernetes attempts to prevent proxied connections from accessing link-local or localhost networks when making user-driven connections to Services, Pods, Nodes, or StorageClass service providers. As part of this mitigation Kubernetes does a DNS name resolution check and validates that response IPs are not in the link-local (169.254.0.0/16) or localhost (127.0.0.0/8) range. Kubernetes then performs a second DNS resolution without validation for the actual connection. If a non-standard DNS server returns different non-cached responses, a user may be able to bypass the proxy IP restriction and access private networks on the control plane.
- Published
- Feb 1, 2022
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 1.1% · 67th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-367
Report tools
Action score
12
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 12 / 40 · 3.1 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 1.1%
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 3.1
- CNA · kubernetes
- 2.2
- 0.9 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| kubernetes | kubernetes | cpe:2.3:a:kubernetes:kubernetes |
Using kubernetes? Add it to your stack and be the first to know about CVEs like this one. (Kubernetes)
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- kubernetes kubernetesup to 1.18.18 inclusive
- kubernetes kubernetes1.19.0 and later · up to 1.19.10 inclusive
- kubernetes kubernetes1.20.0 and later · up to 1.20.6 inclusive
- kubernetes kubernetes1.21.0
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (kubernetes). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Kubernetes Kubernetes
- all versionsaffected · semver
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | kubernetes | before 1.20.5+really1.20.2-1 | 1.20.5+really1.20.2-1 |
| Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | from 1.19.0 · up to and including 1.19.11 | — |
| Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | from 1.20.0 · up to and including 1.20.7 | — |
| Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | from 1.21.0 · up to and including 1.21.1 | — |
| Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | up to and including 1.18.19 | — |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | govulncheck-vulndb | before 0.0.20250807T150727-1.1 | 0.0.20250807T150727-1.1 |
Same product
kubernetes: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2018-1002105In all Kubernetes versions prior to v1.10.11, v1.11.5, and v1.12.3, incorrect handling of error responses to proxied upgrade requests in the65This week
- CVE-2019-11248Kubernetes kubelet exposes /debug/pprof info on healthz port55Plan
- CVE-2017-1002101In Kubernetes versions 1.3.x, 1.4.x, 1.5.x, 1.6.x and prior to versions 1.7.14, 1.8.9 and 1.9.4 containers using subpath volume mounts with 42Plan
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2021-25741Sep 20, 2021 · Symlink Exchange Can Allow Host Filesystem Access34Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2021-25743Jan 6, 2022 · ANSI escape characters in kubectl output are not being filtered12Monitor
- Later →CVE-2022-3162Mar 1, 2023 · Unauthorized read of Custom Resources26Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:kubernetes | 1.20.5+really1.20.2-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:govulncheck-vulndb | 0.0.20250807T150727-1.1 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- low · data can be read
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- High
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- Low
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-367 · Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race ConditionCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (3 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.