KubernetesApplication
CVE-2019-11254
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 API Server component in versions 1.1-1.14, and versions prior to 1.15.10, 1.16.7 and 1.17.3 allows an authorized user who sends malicious YAML payloads to cause the kube-apiserver to consume excessive CPU cycles while parsing YAML.
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 Kubernetes API Server in versions 1.1-1.14 and prior to 1.15.10, 1.16.7, and 1.17.3 is vulnerable to CPU exhaustion when processing malicious YAML payloads. An authorized user can send specially crafted YAML that causes excessive CPU consumption during parsing, resulting in denial of service.
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
< 1.15.10>= 1.16.0, < 1.16.7>= 1.17.0, < 1.17.3CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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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Determine API Server versionRun `kubectl version --short` or `kubectl get pods -n kube-system -o wide` to identify the kube-apiserver version. If using managed Kubernetes, check your cloud provider's control plane version.Affected if The server version is less than 1.15.10, between 1.16.0-1.16.6, or between 1.17.0-1.17.2.
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Identify API Server network exposureReview API Server service configuration: `kubectl get svc kubernetes -o wide` and check whether the API server is bound to a private IP or exposed publicly. Check firewall rules and network policies controlling access to port 6443.Affected if The API Server is reachable from untrusted networks or unauthorized users have network access to port 6443.
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Verify authorization controlsReview who has access to the cluster: `kubectl get clusterrolebindings -o wide` and check for overly permissive bindings. Ensure only authorized users have API access.Affected if Untrusted or unauthorized users have RBAC permissions to send requests to the API Server.
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Check for resource quotas or limit rangesInspect existing ResourceQuota and LimitRange objects in namespaces: `kubectl get resourcequota -A` and `kubectl get limitrange -A`. These may provide partial mitigation against CPU exhaustion.Affected if No resource quotas or CPU limits are configured on namespaces, providing no defense against the DoS.
You are affected if your Kubernetes API Server version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND authorized users can send YAML payloads to the API Server.
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 data1.15.101.16.71.17.3
Upgrade the Kubernetes API Server to version 1.15.10, 1.16.7, 1.17.3 or later to patch the YAML parsing DoS vulnerability.
Fix this in Kubernetes
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-11254 — 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-2019-11254 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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