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Full vulnerability report · 2019
CVE-2019-11253High confidence

Kubernetes API Server JSON/YAML parsing vulnerable to resource exhaustion attack

Kubernetes · Kubernetes

7.5HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Mitigation available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:Critical, raised one band.upgradedsince 16 Sep 2024

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 25.94% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Apply the linked authoritative mitigation while planning the permanent fix.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Kubernetes Kubernetes and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 3 daysRemediation target: Within 90 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Alpine, Debian findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

7 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Alpine v3.23v3.23 · communitycontainerdVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.1.3.3-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 11 Sep 2026
Alpine v3.22v3.22 · communitycontainerdVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.1.3.3-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 11 Sep 2026
Alpine v3.21v3.21 · communitycontainerdVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.1.3.3-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 19 Aug 2026
Debian trixietrixie · sourcekubernetesVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.1.17.4-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcekubernetesVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.1.17.4-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcekubernetesVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.1.17.4-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcekubernetesVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.1.17.4-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Open-source package ranges4 source-attributed ranges

These OSV and GitHub advisory ranges apply only to the named package and ecosystem. A listed fixed version is not a universal product patch or proof that an update is installed.

Ecosystem and packageAffected rangeFirst fixed versionEvidence
gok8s.io/kubernetes>= 1.0.0, < 1.13.121.13.12GitHub advisory ↗github reviewed aggregator · 27 Feb 2026
gok8s.io/kubernetes>= 1.14.0, < 1.14.81.14.8GitHub advisory ↗github reviewed aggregator · 27 Feb 2026
gok8s.io/kubernetes>= 1.15.0, < 1.15.51.15.5GitHub advisory ↗github reviewed aggregator · 27 Feb 2026
gok8s.io/kubernetes>= 1.16.0, < 1.16.21.16.2GitHub advisory ↗github reviewed aggregator · 27 Feb 2026
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2021-1151

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Mitigation available
01

What, why and how

Improper input validation in the Kubernetes API server in versions v1.0-1.12 and versions prior to v1.13.12, v1.14.8, v1.15.5, and v1.16.2 allows authorized users to send malicious YAML or JSON payloads, causing the API server to consume excessive CPU or memory, potentially crashing and becoming unavailable. Prior to v1.14.0, default RBAC policy authorized anonymous users to submit requests that could trigger this vulnerability. Clusters upgraded from a version prior to v1.14.0 keep the more permissive policy by default for backwards compatibility.

What

Improper input validation in the Kubernetes API server in versions v1.0-1.12 and versions prior to v1.13.12, v1.14.8, v1.15.5, and v1.16.2 allows authorized users to send malicious YAML or JSON payloads, causing the API server to consume excessive CPU or memory, potentially crashing and becoming unavailable. Prior to v1.14.0, default RBAC policy authorized anonymous users to submit requests that could trigger this vulnerability. Clusters upgraded from a version prior to v1.14.0 keep the more permissive policy by default for backwards compatibility.

Why

The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

What

Improper input validation in the Kubernetes API server in versions v1.0-1.12 and versions prior to v1.13.12, v1.14.8, v1.15.5, and v1.16.2 allows authorized users to send malicious YAML or JSON payloads, causing the API server to consume excessive CPU or memory, potentially crashing and becoming unavailable. Prior to v1.14.0, default RBAC policy authorized anonymous users to submit requests that could trigger this vulnerability. Clusters upgraded from a version prior to v1.14.0 keep the more permissive policy by default for backwards compatibility.

Why

The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.

Likely attack path
a network path → Improper Input Validation → disrupt the affected service
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-20 ↗

CWE-20: Improper Input Validation. The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedDenial of serviceCWE-20Public exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2022-0510IBM DB2: Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein entfernter, anonymer, authentisierter oder lokaler Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in IBM DB2 ausnutzen, um Dateien zu manipulieren, Sicherheitsmaßnahmen zu umgehen, vertrauliche Informationen offenzulegen, einen Denial-of-Service-Zustand auszulösen, willkürlichen Code mit erhöhten Rechten auszuführen, Informationen falsch darzustellen und beliebigen Code auszuführen.

Official advisory ↗
BSI · German · WID-SEC-2026-0777Red Hat OpenShift: Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein entfernter, authentisierter Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Red Hat OpenShift ausnutzen, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen, einen Cross-Site-Scripting-Angriff durchzuführen, beliebigen Programmcode auszuführen, oder Auswirkungen hinsichtlich der Vertraulichkeit, Verfügbarkeit und Integrität zu verursachen.

Official advisory ↗
BSI · German · WID-SEC-2025-0653Kubernetes: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Denial of Service

Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in Kubernetes ausnutzen, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2025-AVI-0279Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBM

Bulletin de sécurité IBM 7229443 du 28 mars 2025 https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7229443 Bulletin de sécurité IBM 7229768 du 01 avril 2025 https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7229768 Bulletin de sécurité IBM 7229770 du 01 avril 2025 https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7229770 Bulletin de sécurité IBM 7229772 du 01 avril 2025 https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7229772 Bulletin de sécurité IBM 7230024 du 03 avril 2025 https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7230024 Référence CVE CVE-2018-20225 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-20225 Référence CVE CVE-2018-6341 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-6341 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11253 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11253 Référence CVE CVE-2020-13844 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-13844 Référence CVE CVE-2021-23337 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-23337 Référence CVE CVE-2021-4204 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-4204 Référence CVE CVE-2021-44906 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-44906 Référence CVE CVE-2021-47495 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-47495 Référence CVE CVE-2022-29153 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-29153 Référence CVE CVE-2022-48706 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-48706 Référence CVE CVE-2022-48890 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CV

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2022-AVI-591Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits IBM

=CVE-2018-17848 Référence CVE CVE-2018-20699 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-20699 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1002101 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1002101 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11246 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11246 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11247 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11247 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11249 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11249 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11250 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11250 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11251 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11251 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11252 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11252 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11253 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11253 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11254 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11254 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11840 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11840 Référence CVE CVE-2019-11841 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11841 Référence CVE CVE-2019-16884 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-16884 Référence CVE CVE-2020-10752 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-10752 Référence CVE CVE-2020-14040 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-14040 Référence CVE CVE-2020-15106 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-15106 Référence CVE CVE-2020-15112 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2019-011117Kubernetes API server における DTD の再帰的なエンティティ参照の不適切な制限に関する脆弱性

Kubernetes API server には、DTD の再帰的なエンティティ参照の不適切な制限に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Mitigation available
Affected
Kubernetes: prior to 1.13.12, prior to 1.14.8, prior to 1.15.5, prior to 1.16.2, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
Apply the mitigation in the linked authoritative guidance while planning the vendor's permanent fix.
Workaround
A mitigation or workaround reference is available from the source linked below; validate it against the affected product and version.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 17 Oct 2019 · Last source change 16 Sept 2024, 23:21 UTC · CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-01
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-1151
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2021-1151 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2021-1151"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  2. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added mitigation: github.com/83253; added remediation: github.com/83253; removed vendor advisory: access.redhat.com/RHSA-2019:3239; removed vendor advisory: access.redhat.com/RHSA-2019:3811; 1 further removals.
    Before
    vendor advisory: access.redhat.com/RHSA-2019:3239 · vendor advisory: access.redhat.com/RHSA-2019:3811 · vendor advisory: access.redhat.com/RHSA-2019:3905
    After
    mitigation: github.com/83253 · remediation: github.com/83253
    github.com ↗
  3. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Mitigation available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Mitigation available
    github.com ↗
  4. Public exploit evidencePublic exploit evidence changed from No public exploit to Public exploit reference.
    Before
    No public exploit
    After
    Public exploit reference
    github.com ↗
  5. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Mitigation reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-1151↗Public exploit reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2019-11253 · cve.blacktree.nl