Unauthenticated RCE via admission configuration validation
Published Mar 24, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026
Remote code execution in Kubernetes ingress-nginx 1.11.4 and earlier and 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to run code via its admission webhook. The webhook builds an NGINX configuration from an untrusted AdmissionReview and runs nginx -t; an injected ssl_engine directive loads a buffered shared object through ProcFS. The attacker needs network access to the unauthenticated admission endpoint, commonly from the pod network, and code runs with the controller's access to cluster Secrets.
Summary
What happened
Remote code execution in Kubernetes ingress-nginx 1.11.4 and earlier and 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to run code via its admission webhook. The webhook builds an NGINX configuration from an untrusted AdmissionReview and runs nginx -t; an injected ssl_engine directive loads a buffered shared object through ProcFS. The attacker needs network access to the unauthenticated admission endpoint, commonly from the pod network, and code runs with the controller's access to cluster Secrets.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-1974
- Published
- Mar 24, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 26, 2026
- Vendor
- Kubernetes
- Product
- ingress-nginx
- Classifications
- CWE-653, T1210
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Mar 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 26, 2026Record 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 <=1.11.4
- Affected versionversion=1.12.0
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
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
- Ingress-NGINX Admission Controller FD Injection to RCEfunctional · validated
- Ashwesker CVE-2025-1974 exploitfunctional · unverified
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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