Kubernetes, Race Condition Vulnerability, CVE-2025-XXXX (Low Severity)

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How the CVE Works:

The vulnerability in Kubernetes’ kube-apiserver (CVE-2025-XXXX) arises due to a race condition during namespace deletion. When a namespace is terminated, the order in which objects like pods and network policies are deleted is not strictly defined. This lack of synchronization can result in network policies being removed before the pods they are meant to protect. Consequently, for a brief period, pods may remain operational without the intended network restrictions, allowing unauthorized network access. This issue affects Kubernetes versions 1.3.0 through 1.32.3 and has been classified as low severity due to the narrow window of exploitation and the specific conditions required to trigger it.

DailyCVE Form:

Platform: Kubernetes
Version: 1.3.0 to 1.32.3
Vulnerability: Race Condition
Severity: Low
Date: Mar 20, 2025

What Undercode Say:

Exploitation:

1. Exploit Scenario: An attacker with access to a compromised pod can exploit this race condition during namespace deletion to bypass network policies and establish unauthorized connections.

2. Exploit Code:

kubectl delete namespace <target-namespace>
kubectl exec -it <compromised-pod> -- /bin/sh -c "curl http://unauthorized-service"

This sequence demonstrates how a pod could attempt to access restricted services during the race condition window.

Protection:

1. Mitigation: Upgrade to a patched version of Kubernetes if available. If not, implement manual safeguards such as:

– Monitoring namespace deletion events.
– Using admission controllers to enforce stricter deletion order policies.

2. Protection Code:

apiVersion: admissionregistration.k8s.io/v1
kind: ValidatingWebhookConfiguration
metadata:
name: enforce-deletion-order
webhooks:
- name: enforce-deletion-order.example.com
rules:
- operations: [bash]
apiGroups: [bash]
apiVersions: [bash]
resources: [bash]

This configuration ensures that namespace deletions are validated to prevent race conditions.

Analytics:

1. Detection: Use Kubernetes audit logs to monitor namespace deletion events and identify potential exploitation attempts.

   kubectl logs -n kube-system kube-apiserver | grep "delete namespace"
   

2. Monitoring: Implement network policy enforcement checks using tools like Calico or Cilium to detect policy violations.

   calicoctl get networkpolicy -o wide
   

3. Alerting: Set up alerts for unexpected network activity during namespace deletions using Prometheus and Grafana.

   </li>
   </ol>
   
   - alert: NamespaceDeletionNetworkPolicyBypass
   expr: sum(kube_namespace_deletion_events) by (namespace) > 0
   for: 1m
   labels:
   severity: critical
   annotations:
   summary: "Potential network policy bypass during namespace deletion"
   

   By following these steps, organizations can mitigate the risks associated with this race condition vulnerability in Kubernetes.

   References:

   Reported By: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-r56h-j38w-hrqq
   Extra Source Hub:
   Undercode

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