Authorization bypass via mixed-version proxy configuration
Published Jan 19, 2022 · Updated Apr 23, 2025
Authorization bypass in Istio 1.12.0 through 1.12.1 allows remote attackers to reach protected services with crafted Host headers. The 1.12 control plane emits the new Envoy host-matching API for 1.11 proxies, causing hosts and notHosts conditions to match every Host value. Exposure requires mixed 1.12 and 1.11 control and data planes plus an affected authorization rule; successful requests bypass intended access controls.
Summary
What happened
Authorization bypass in Istio 1.12.0 through 1.12.1 allows remote attackers to reach protected services with crafted Host headers. The 1.12 control plane emits the new Envoy host-matching API for 1.11 proxies, causing hosts and notHosts conditions to match every Host value. Exposure requires mixed 1.12 and 1.11 control and data planes plus an affected authorization rule; successful requests bypass intended access controls.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-21679
- Published
- Jan 19, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 23, 2025
- Vendor
- Istio
- Product
- Istio
- Classifications
- CWE-670
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 19, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 23, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=>= 1.12.0, < 1.12.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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