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CVE-2021-20218 kubernetes-client

Affected softwarekubernetes-client
Severity7.4 High CVSS 3.1 2 scores
Fixed in4.7.2, 4.11.2, 4.13.2, 5.0.2
WeaknessPath traversal (CWE-22)
Published16 Mar 2021
Updated17 Jun 2026

Description

A flaw was found in the fabric8 kubernetes-client in version 4.2.0 and after. This flaw allows a malicious pod/container to cause applications using the fabric8 kubernetes-client copy command to extract files outside the working path. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to integrity and system availability. This has been fixed in kubernetes-client-4.13.2 kubernetes-client-5.0.2 kubernetes-client-4.11.2 kubernetes-client-4.7.2

Exploitation status

No public exploit

No exploit has been reported in the sources we check. Published 5 years ago.

  • CISA KEV not listed
  • VulnCheck KEV not listed
  • CISA Vulnrichment no assessment published
  • Indexed PoC none indexed
  • EPSS 1.3% chance in 30 days

Waratek protection

Protected by Waratek

Waratek has a rule that blocks attacks on this vulnerability.

Decided by A vulnerability class already blocked by an ARMR security rule
Finding Protected by Waratek's ARMR path-traversal security rule, which blocks this class of attack at the JVM level without a rule written for this CVE specifically. The CVE's weakness is CWE-22: Path Traversal.
Candidate fix https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1923405 : a Red Hat bug: the triage, which links onward to the fix

How to mitigate CVE-2021-20218

Upgrade kubernetes-client to a release that fixes it: 4.7.2, 4.11.2, 4.13.2 or 5.0.2. Until you can, Waratek RASP blocks exploitation with its path traversal rule. It runs inside the Java application, with no code changes.

Waratek RASP Runtime protection for Java applications

CVSS

7.4 HIGH v3.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H 2 metrics

We show the highest score from the newest CVSS version. Scores from different versions can't be compared, and the first score listed is sometimes a 0.0 placeholder.

VersionScoreBandVectorAssignerType
CVSS 3.1 7.4 HIGH CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H NVD Primary published
CVSS 2.0 5.8 none AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P NVD Primary

Affected software and releases

Maven packages

Affected and fixed versions, from OSV.dev
PackageIntroducedFixedLast affected
io.fabric8:kubernetes-client 4.2.0 4.7.2 unbounded
io.fabric8:kubernetes-client 4.8.0 4.11.2 unbounded
io.fabric8:kubernetes-client 4.12.0 4.13.2 unbounded
io.fabric8:kubernetes-client 5.0.0 5.0.2 unbounded

Products and versions

10 products, 16 version entries
SourceVendorProductSchemeAffected versions
osv io.fabric8 kubernetes-client generic ≥ 4.2.0 and < 4.7.2 · ≥ 4.8.0 and < 4.11.2 · ≥ 4.12.0 and < 4.13.2 · ≥ 5.0.0 and < 5.0.2
nvd redhat a-mq online generic any version
nvd redhat build of quarkus generic any version
nvd redhat codeready studio generic 12.0
nvd redhat descision manager generic 7.0
nvd redhat integration camel k generic any version
nvd redhat jboss fuse generic 7.0.0
nvd redhat kubernetes-client generic ≥ 4.2.0 and < 4.7.2 · ≥ 4.8.0 and < 4.11.2 · ≥ 4.12.0 and < 4.13.2 · ≥ 5.0.0 and < 5.0.2
nvd redhat openshift container platform generic 3.11
nvd redhat process automation generic 7.0

References

URLTags
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1923405 bugzilla
https://github.com/fabric8io/kubernetes-client/issues/2715 WEB

Timeline

Published2021-03-16By the CVE Program.
NVD record modified2026-06-17NVD's own last-modified date for this record.