CVE-2023-5408
Openshift: modification of node role labels
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the node restriction admission plugin of the kubernetes api server of OpenShift. A remote attacker who modifies the node role label could steer workloads from the control plane and etcd nodes onto different worker nodes and gain broader access to the cluster.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- High
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Openshift: modification of node role labels
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the node restriction admission plugin of the kubernetes api server of OpenShift. A remote attacker who modifies the node role label could steer workloads from the control plane and etcd nodes onto different worker nodes and gain broader access to the cluster.
- Record
CVE-2023-5408- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2023-57723
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the node restriction admission plugin of the kubernetes api server of OpenShift. A remote attacker who modifies the node role label could steer workloads from the control plane and etcd nodes onto different worker nodes and gain broader access to the cluster.
- Record
EUVD-2023-57723- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-7664-m5hw-r7q8
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the node restriction admission plugin of the kubernetes...
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the node restriction admission plugin of the kubernetes api server of OpenShift. A remote attacker who modifies the node role label could steer workloads from the control plane and etcd nodes onto different worker nodes and gain broader access to the cluster.
- Record
GHSA-7664-m5hw-r7q8- CVSS 3.1
- 8.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the node restriction admission plugin of the kubernetes api server of OpenShift. A remote attacker who modifies the node role label could steer workloads from the control plane and etcd nodes onto different worker nodes and gain broader access to the cluster.
- Record
CVE-2023-5408- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-269
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVAZL-31786
CVE-2023-5408 affecting package kubernetes for versions less than 1.28.4-5
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the node restriction admission plugin of the kubernetes api server of OpenShift. A remote attacker who modifies the node role label could steer workloads from the control plane and etcd nodes onto different worker nodes and gain broader access to the cluster.
- Record
AZL-31786- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVAZL-34898
CVE-2023-5408 affecting package kubernetes for versions less than 1.29.1-2
A privilege escalation flaw was found in the node restriction admission plugin of the kubernetes api server of OpenShift. A remote attacker who modifies the node role label could steer workloads from the control plane and etcd nodes onto different worker nodes and gain broader access to the cluster.
- Record
AZL-34898- CVSS 3.1
- 7.2 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
kubernetesAzure Linux:2 |
before 1.28.4-5 | 1.28.4-5 |
kubernetesAzure Linux:3 |
before 1.29.1-2 | 1.29.1-2 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-5408 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.2) in Red Hat Openshift Container Platform 4.11, published November 2, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.51%, the 74th percentile. Fixed in kubernetes 1.28.4-5.
References
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:5006
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2242173
github.com/openshift/kubernetes/pull/1736
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5408