CVE-2020-8552: Kubernetes API server denial of service

Published Feb 4, 2020
·
Updated

A denial of service vulnerability was found in the Kubernetes API server. This flaw allows a remote attacker to send repeated, crafted HTTP requests to exhaust available memory and cause a crash.

Other sources

A flaw was found in the Kubernetes API server that allows for memory exhaustion and subsequent denial of service. A label in a Kubernetes apiserver metric that reflects the client's user agent is included for debugging purposes, but every value added adds a sustained memory overhead as the metric is now tracked. This is particularly dangerous on commonly unauthenticated APIs (selfsubjectaccessreview for example) and can be performed by any authenticated user.

Upstream Fixes:

1.18: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/87669 1.17: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/87673 1.16: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/87681 1.15: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/87682

Red Hat

The Kubernetes API server component in Kubernetes versions prior to 1.15.9, 1.16.0-1.16.6, and 1.17.0-1.17.2 has been found to be vulnerable to a denial of service attack via successful API requests.

The Kubernetes API server component in versions prior to 1.15.9, 1.16.0-1.16.6, and 1.17.0-1.17.2 has been found to be vulnerable to a denial of service attack via successful API requests.

Affected Software

30 affected componentsFixes available
go/k8s.io/apiserver>=0.17.0<0.17.3
0.17.3
go/k8s.io/apiserver>=0.16.0<0.16.7
0.16.7
go/k8s.io/apiserver<0.15.10
0.15.10
redhat/atomic-enterprise-service-catalog<1:3.11.219-1.git.1.717017c.el7
1:3.11.219-1.git.1.717017c.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift<0:3.11.219-1.git.0.0c21387.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.0.0c21387.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift-cluster-autoscaler<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.1ad3e34.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.1ad3e34.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift-descheduler<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.7e5b9ee.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.7e5b9ee.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift-dockerregistry<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.8323991.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.8323991.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift-metrics-server<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.6fe54fb.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.6fe54fb.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift-node-problem-detector<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.5ae8753.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.5ae8753.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift-service-idler<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.958cdae.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.958cdae.el7
redhat/golang-github-openshift-oauth-proxy<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.076ae14.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.076ae14.el7
redhat/golang-github-prometheus-alertmanager<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.9a593f8.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.9a593f8.el7
redhat/golang-github-prometheus-prometheus<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.3f6e657.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.3f6e657.el7
redhat/openshift-ansible<0:3.11.219-1.git.0.8845382.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.0.8845382.el7
redhat/openshift-enterprise-autoheal<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.c544df9.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.c544df9.el7
redhat/openshift-enterprise-cluster-capacity<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.ca1ee51.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.ca1ee51.el7
redhat/openshift-kuryr<0:3.11.219-1.git.1.717d59f.el7
0:3.11.219-1.git.1.717d59f.el7
redhat/atomic-openshift<0:3.11.248-1.git.0.92ee8ac.el7
0:3.11.248-1.git.0.92ee8ac.el7
redhat/openshift<0:4.2.29-202004110432.git.0.f7d02c8.el8
0:4.2.29-202004110432.git.0.f7d02c8.el8
redhat/openshift<0:4.3.9-202003230116.git.0.ebf9a26.el7
0:4.3.9-202003230116.git.0.ebf9a26.el7
redhat/kube-apiserver<1.17.3
1.17.3
redhat/kube-apiserver<1.16.7
1.16.7
redhat/kube-apiserver<1.15.10
1.15.10
Kubernetes kubernetes<=1.15.9
Kubernetes kubernetes>=1.16.0<=1.16.6
Kubernetes kubernetes>=1.17.0<=1.17.2
Fedoraproject Fedora=32
IBM Watson Studio on Cloud Pak for Data<=4.0
IBM Watson Studio on Cloud Pak for Data<=5.0

Remediation

Information

Prevent unauthenticated or unauthorized access to all APIs

Event History

Feb 4, 2020
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·08:13 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Mar 23, 2020
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Mar 27, 2020
CVE Published
via MITRE·02:25 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·02:25 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Feb 15, 2022
Advisory Published
01:57 AM
Aug 28, 2025
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2020-8552?

CVE-2020-8552 is a vulnerability in the Kubernetes API server component that allows for a denial of service attack via successful API requests.

2

What is the severity of CVE-2020-8552?

The severity of CVE-2020-8552 is medium with a CVSS score of 5.3.

3

Which versions of Kubernetes are affected by CVE-2020-8552?

Kubernetes versions prior to 1.15.9, 1.16.0-1.16.6, and 1.17.0-1.17.2 are affected by CVE-2020-8552.

4

How can I fix CVE-2020-8552?

To fix CVE-2020-8552, ensure that you are using Kubernetes version 1.15.9, 1.16.0-1.16.6, or 1.17.0-1.17.2.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2020-8552?

You can find more information about CVE-2020-8552 on the CVE website, NIST's vulnerability database, Kubernetes GitHub issues, Google Groups, and Red Hat Bugzilla and Errata.

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