KubernetesApplication
CVE-2019-11251
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe Kubernetes kubectl cp command in versions 1.1-1.12, and versions prior to 1.13.11, 1.14.7, and 1.15.4 allows a combination of two symlinks provided by tar output of a malicious container to place a file outside of the destination directory specified in the kubectl cp invocation. This could be used to allow an attacker to place a nefarious file using a symlink, outside of the destination tree.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe kubectl cp command in Kubernetes versions 1.1-1.12 and prior to 1.13.11/1.14.7/1.15.4 fails to properly sanitize symlinks within tar archives received from containers. A malicious container can embed two symlinks in tar output that resolve outside the intended destination directory, enabling path traversal to write arbitrary files to the host filesystem.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
KubernetesApplication
>= 1.13.0, < 1.13.11>= 1.14.0, < 1.14.7>= 1.15.0, < 1.15.4= 1.1-1.12CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed kubectl client versionRun `kubectl version --client` or `kubectl version` to obtain the client version numberAffected if Version is 1.1 through 1.12, or 1.13.0 through 1.13.10, or 1.14.0 through 1.14.6, or 1.15.0 through 1.15.3
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Confirm kubectl cp usage contextDetermine whether you use the `kubectl cp` command to copy files from containers to local system or vice versaAffected if kubectl cp is used with any container, especially untrusted ones
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Verify tar processing behaviorInspect whether tar archives from containers are being extracted during copy operations - this is inherent to kubectl cp functionalityAffected if kubectl cp is used to extract files from containers, which triggers tar processing of container-provided archives
You are affected if your kubectl client version falls within 1.1-1.12, 1.13.0-1.13.10, 1.14.0-1.14.6, or 1.15.0-1.15.3 and you use kubectl cp to copy files from containers.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data1.13.111.14.71.15.4
Upgrade kubectl and Kubernetes control plane components to version 1.13.11, 1.14.7, 1.15.4 or later. Additionally, avoid using kubectl cp with untrusted containers.
Fix this in Kubernetes
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-11251 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-11251 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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