CVE-2022-24877: Improper path handling in kustomization files allows path traversal

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2022-24877 is a critical (CVSS 9.9) vulnerability in fluxcd flux2. EPSS estimates a 1.19% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 67.9% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 06-05-2022
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 23-04-2025
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

Flux is an open and extensible continuous delivery solution for Kubernetes. Path Traversal in the kustomize-controller via a malicious `kustomization.yaml` allows an attacker to expose sensitive data from the controller’s pod filesystem and possibly privilege escalation in multi-tenancy deployments. Workarounds include automated tooling in the user's CI/CD pipeline to validate `kustomization.yaml` files conform with specific policies. This vulnerability is fixed in kustomize-controller v0.24.0 and included in flux2 v0.29.0.

• CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted DirectoryThe product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
• CWE-36Absolute Path TraversalThe product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize absolute path sequences such as "/abs/path" that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.