Vulnerability · Published Sep 28, 2026 · Assigned by kubernetes
CVE-2026-19444Kubernetes kubectl cp path traversal on Windows allows arbitrary file writes
Medium 6.5
In plain English
A medium-severity path traversal 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 0.2% (higher than 14% of all known vulnerabilities).
Official description
A path traversal vulnerability was discovered in the Kubernetes kubectl client's kubectl cp command on Windows. When copying files from a container, kubectl runs tar inside the container to build a tar archive, transfers it over the network, and unpacks it on the local machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it can execute arbitrary code and emit unexpected output, allowing an attacker who controls container contents to write files to arbitrary paths on the user's local machine when kubectl cp is invoked, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. This issue only affects kubectl clients running on Windows.
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes | Kubernetes | v1.36.0 – through v1.36.4v1.35.0 – through v1.35.8v1.34.0 – through v1.34.11 |
Weakness: CWE-22 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N