Authenticated command execution via unvalidated redirect annotation
Published Oct 25, 2023 · Updated Jun 12, 2025
Code injection in Kubernetes ingress-nginx before 1.9.0 allows remote authenticated users to execute commands through an Ingress annotation. The redirect parser accepts nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/permanent-redirect text without validating special characters before inserting it into generated NGINX configuration. Exploitation requires permission to create or update Ingress objects; the default controller credential can read every cluster secret, while chrooted images prevent credential extraction.
Summary
What happened
Code injection in Kubernetes ingress-nginx before 1.9.0 allows remote authenticated users to execute commands through an Ingress annotation. The redirect parser accepts nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/permanent-redirect text without validating special characters before inserting it into generated NGINX configuration. Exploitation requires permission to create or update Ingress objects; the default controller credential can read every cluster secret, while chrooted images prevent credential extraction.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-5044
- Published
- Oct 25, 2023
- Updated
- Jun 12, 2025
- Vendor
- Kubernetes
- Product
- ingress-nginx
- Classifications
- CWE-94, CWE-20, T1059
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 25, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 12, 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=0 <1.9.0
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
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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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