CVE-2023-1260 | Kube-apiserver: privesc

An authentication bypass vulnerability was discovered in kube-apiserver. This issue could allow a remote, authenticated attacker who has been given permissions "update, patch" the "pods/ephemeralcontainers" subresource beyond what the default is. They would then need to create a new pod or patch one that they already have access to. This might allow evasion of SCC admission restrictions, thereby gaining control of a privileged pod.

Published: 2023-09-24 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-1260 is rated Low Risk (37.6/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.06%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-1260

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-11-21 0.77% 0.06% -0.71%
2 2025-11-18 0.09% 0.77% +0.68%
3 2025-03-30 — 0.09% —

Full EPSS history (10 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-1260

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.0 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.3 6.0 [email protected]
8.0 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.3 6.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-1260

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-1260

GHSA-92hx-3mh6-hc49 · Severity: high · Ecosystem: go — kube-apiserver authentication bypass vulnerability

OS Trackers for CVE-2023-1260

vendor priority summary link
redhat high — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-1260

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-1260

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
kubernetes kube-apiserver — cpe:2.3:a:kubernetes:kube-apiserver:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redhat openshift_container_platform 4.10 cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:4.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redhat openshift_container_platform 4.11 cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:4.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redhat openshift_container_platform 4.12 cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:4.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redhat openshift_container_platform 4.13 cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:4.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-1260

cvelogic Threat Intelligence