Controller code execution via unquoted auth URL
Published Mar 24, 2025 · Updated Feb 26, 2026
Configuration injection in Kubernetes ingress-nginx 1.11.4 and earlier and 1.12.0 allows remote authenticated users to execute code. The rootfs/etc/nginx/template/nginx.tmpl template inserted the annotation-derived external-auth URL into an NGINX set directive without quotation, permitting directive injection. Kubernetes API permission to create or update an Ingress object is required; successful exploitation runs code as the controller and exposes Secrets readable by its service account, which defaults to cluster-wide access.
Summary
What happened
Configuration injection in Kubernetes ingress-nginx 1.11.4 and earlier and 1.12.0 allows remote authenticated users to execute code. The rootfs/etc/nginx/template/nginx.tmpl template inserted the annotation-derived external-auth URL into an NGINX set directive without quotation, permitting directive injection. Kubernetes API permission to create or update an Ingress object is required; successful exploitation runs code as the controller and exposes Secrets readable by its service account, which defaults to cluster-wide access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-24514
- Published
- Mar 24, 2025
- Updated
- Feb 26, 2026
- Vendor
- Kubernetes
- Product
- ingress-nginx
- Classifications
- CWE-20, CWE-15, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
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 v1.11.1 - FD Injection to RCEfunctional · validated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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