Kubernetes Nodes can delete themselves by adding an OwnerReference

Description

A vulnerability exists in the NodeRestriction admission controller in Kubernetes clusters where node users can delete their corresponding node object by patching themselves with an OwnerReference to a cluster-scoped resource. If the OwnerReference resource does not exist or is subsequently deleted, the given node object will be deleted via garbage collection.

Basic information

Type
reviewed
Severity
medium
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Source code
Browse source ↗
Published (advisory)
2025-08-27 18:31:55 UTC
Updated
2025-08-27 19:20:31 UTC
GitHub reviewed
2025-08-27 19:20:29 UTC
NVD published
2025-08-27

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
0.03% 8.87%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
6.7 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L 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:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
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:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
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:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.

Identifiers

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-863 Incorrect Authorization

Affected packages (3)

Vulnerable version ranges and first patched releases as published by GitHub.

Ecosystem Package Vulnerable range First patched Vulnerable functions
go k8s.io/kubernetes < 1.31.12 1.31.12
go k8s.io/kubernetes >= 1.32.0-alpha.0, < 1.32.7 1.32.8
go k8s.io/kubernetes >= 1.33.0-alpha.0, < 1.33.4 1.33.4

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence