dbcve.org
ApiserverApplication · Kubernetes

CVE-2022-3172

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.22.14 / 1.23.11 or later.
See remediation →
89/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
A security issue was discovered in kube-apiserver that allows an aggregated API server to redirect client traffic to any URL. This could lead to the client performing unexpected actions as well as forwarding the client's API server credentials to third parties.

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 confidence

In kube-apiserver, an aggregated API server can redirect client traffic to any URL, causing clients (like kubectl) to perform unintended actions and exposing API server credentials to third parties. This is a server-side request forgery (SSRF) where the aggregated API server acts as a redirect handler.

MitigationUpgrade kube-apiserver to the patched Kubernetes version, or implement controls to restrict which aggregated API servers are trusted and monitor for suspicious redirect behavior.

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
ApiserverApplication
Affected:<= 1.21.14>= 1.22.0, < 1.22.14>= 1.23.0, < 1.23.11>= 1.24.0, < 1.24.5= 1.25.0

CVSS 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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify kube-apiserver version
    Run `kubectl get pods -n kube-system -o jsonpath='{.items[*].spec.containers[?(@.name=="kube-apiserver")].image}'` to get the image, or check the binary with `kube-apiserver --version`
    Affected if The version falls within <= 1.21.14, 1.22.0-1.22.13, 1.23.0-1.23.10, 1.24.0-1.24.4, or 1.25.0
  2. Check for aggregated API servers
    Run `kubectl get apiservices` to list all registered API services, or inspect cluster for deployed aggregated API servers (look for custom APIService resources or pods in non-system namespaces serving aggregated API endpoints)
    Affected if Any aggregated API servers are registered in the cluster (the vulnerability only applies when aggregated API servers are present)
  3. Inspect API service configurations
    Review the APIService definitions with `kubectl get apiservices -o yaml` and check for any that point to untrusted or external services
    Affected if APIService resources exist that connect to aggregated API servers not directly managed by the cluster administrator

You are affected if your kube-apiserver version is vulnerable AND you have any aggregated API servers configured in your cluster.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.22.14 / 1.23.11 / 1.24.5 or later
Fixed in 1.22.141.23.111.24.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade kube-apiserver to the patched Kubernetes version, or implement controls to restrict which aggregated API servers are trusted and monitor for suspicious redirect behavior.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade kube-apiserver to 1.21.15+/1.22.15+/1.23.12+/1.24.6+ depending on your current minor version branch

  1. Identify the current Kubernetes version of the kube-apiserver using: kubectl version --short or checking the apiserver manifest
  2. For Kubernetes 1.21.x: Upgrade kube-apiserver to version 1.21.15 or later
  3. For Kubernetes 1.22.x: Upgrade kube-apiserver to version 1.22.15 or later
  4. For Kubernetes 1.23.x: Upgrade kube-apiserver to version 1.23.12 or later
  5. For Kubernetes 1.24.x: Upgrade kube-apiserver to version 1.24.6 or later
  6. After upgrade, verify the kube-apiserver pods are running: kubectl get pods -n kube-system -l component=kube-apiserver
  7. Ensure aggregated API servers are reviewed to not exploit the redirect vulnerability
Caveat Kubernetes upgrades may have API deprecations; review the Kubernetes release notes for your target version for any breaking changes

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Apiserver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,968.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-3172 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-3172 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data