CVE-2023-26484
published 2023-03-15CVE-2023-26484: KubeVirt is a virtual machine management add-on for Kubernetes. In versions 0.59.0 and prior, if a malicious user has taken over a Kubernetes node where…
PriorityP348high8.2CVSS 3.1
AVNACHPRLUINSCCHIHAN
EPSS
0.61%
44.8th percentile
KubeVirt is a virtual machine management add-on for Kubernetes. In versions 0.59.0 and prior, if a malicious user has taken over a Kubernetes node where virt-handler (the KubeVirt node-daemon) is running, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs. This can be misused to lure-in system-level-privileged components which can, for instance, read all secrets on the cluster, or can exec into pods on other nodes. This way, a compromised node can be used to elevate privileges beyond the node until potentially having full privileged access to the whole cluster. The simplest way to exploit this, once a user could compromise a specific node, is to set with the virt-handler service account all other nodes to unschedulable and simply wait until system-critical components with high privileges appear on its node. No patches are available as of time of publication. As a workaround, gatekeeper users can add a webhook which will block the `virt-handler` service account to modify the spec of a node.
Affected
9 ranges
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| kubevirt.io | kubevirt | 0 – 0.59.0 | — |
| kubevirt | kubevirt | <= 0.59.0 | — |
| msrc | azl3_kubevirt_0.59.0-14_on_azure_linux_3.0 | — | — |
| msrc | azl3_kubevirt_1.2.0-1_on_azure_linux_3.0 | — | — |
| msrc | azure_linux_3.0_arm | — | — |
| msrc | azure_linux_3.0_x64 | — | — |
| msrc | cbl2_kubevirt_0.59.0-20_on_cbl_mariner_2.0 | — | — |
| msrc | cbl_mariner_2.0_arm | — | — |
| msrc | cbl_mariner_2.0_x64 | — | — |
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.18.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
vendor_msrc8.2HIGH
vendor_redhat8.2HIGH
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Red Hat
kubevirt: Incorrect Authorization
vendor_redhat·2023-03-15·CVSS 8.2
CVE-2023-26484 [HIGH] CWE-863 kubevirt: Incorrect Authorization
kubevirt: Incorrect Authorization
KubeVirt is a virtual machine management add-on for Kubernetes. In versions 0.59.0 and prior, if a malicious user has taken over a Kubernetes node where virt-handler (the KubeVirt node-daemon) is running, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs. This can be misused to lure-in system-level-privileged components which can, for instance, read all secrets on the cluster, or can exec into pods on other nodes. This way, a compromised node can be used to elevate privileges beyond the node until potentially having full privileged access to the whole cluster. The simplest way to exploit this, once a user could compromise a specific node, is to set with the virt-handler service account all other nodes to unschedulable and simply wait u
Microsoft
On a compromised KubeVirt node the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
vendor_msrc·2023-03-14·CVSS 8.2
CVE-2023-26484 [HIGH] CWE-863 On a compromised KubeVirt node the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
On a compromised KubeVirt node the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
FAQ: Is Azure Linux the only Microsoft product that includes this open-source library and is therefore potentially affected by this vulnerability?
One of the main benefits to our customers who choose to use the Azure Linux distro is the commitment to keep it up to date with the most recent and most secure versions of the open source libraries with which the distro is composed. Microsoft is committed to transparency in this work which is why we began publishing CSAF/VEX in October 2025. See this blog post for more information. If impact to additional products is identified, we will update the CVE to reflect this.
Mariner: Mariner
GitHub_M: GitHub_M
Customer Action Required: Yes
Remediat
GHSA
On a compromised node, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
ghsa·2023-03-16
CVE-2023-26484 [HIGH] CWE-863 On a compromised node, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
On a compromised node, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
### Impact
If a malicious user has taken over a Kubernetes node where virt-handler (the KubeVirt node-daemon) is running, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs.
This can be misused to lure-in system-level-privileged components (which can for instance read all secrets on the cluster, or can exec into pods on other nodes). This way a compromised node can be used to elevate privileges beyond the node until potentially having full privileged access to the whole cluster.
The simplest way to exploit this, once a user could compromise a specific node, is to set with the virt-handler service account all other nodes to unschedulable and simply wait until system-critical c
OSV
On a compromised node, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
osv·2023-03-16
CVE-2023-26484 [HIGH] On a compromised node, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
On a compromised node, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
### Impact
If a malicious user has taken over a Kubernetes node where virt-handler (the KubeVirt node-daemon) is running, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs.
This can be misused to lure-in system-level-privileged components (which can for instance read all secrets on the cluster, or can exec into pods on other nodes). This way a compromised node can be used to elevate privileges beyond the node until potentially having full privileged access to the whole cluster.
The simplest way to exploit this, once a user could compromise a specific node, is to set with the virt-handler service account all other nodes to unschedulable and simply wait until system-critical c
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
No writeups or analysis indexed.
2023-03-15
Published