Vulnerability · Published Aug 27, 2025 · Assigned by kubernetes
CVE-2025-5187Nodes can delete themselves by adding an OwnerReference
Medium 6.7
In plain English
A medium-severity incorrect authorization in Kubernetes from Kubernetes. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.6% (higher than 48% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
A vulnerability exists in the NodeRestriction admission controller in Kubernetes clusters where node users can delete their corresponding node object by patching themselves with an OwnerReference to a cluster-scoped resource. If the OwnerReference resource does not exist or is subsequently deleted, the given node object will be deleted via garbage collection.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | kubernetes | 1.20.5+really1.20.2-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2025-5187 |
| Debian:13 | kubernetes | 1.20.5+really1.20.2-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2025-5187 |
| Debian:14 | kubernetes | 1.20.5+really1.20.2-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2025-5187 |
| Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | 1.31.12 | GHSA-4x4m-3c2p-qppc |
| Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | 1.31.12, 1.32.8, 1.33.4 | GO-2025-3915 |
| Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | 1.32.8 | GHSA-4x4m-3c2p-qppc |
| Go | k8s.io/kubernetes | 1.33.4 | GHSA-4x4m-3c2p-qppc |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes | Kubernetes | v1.31.0 – through v1.31.11v1.32.0 – through v1.32.7v1.33.0 – through v1.33.3 |
Weakness: CWE-863 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L