CVE-2019-11246
kubectl cp allows symlink directory traversal
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes runs tar inside the container to create a tar archive, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user’s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user’s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. Kubernetes affected versions include versions prior to 1.12.9, versions prior to 1.13.6, versions prior to 1.14.2, and versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- High
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
6.4
kubectl cp allows symlink directory traversal
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes runs tar inside the container to create a tar archive, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user’s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user’s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. Kubernetes affected versions include versions prior to 1.12.9, versions prior to 1.13.6, versions prior to 1.14.2, and versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11.
- Record
CVE-2019-11246- CVSS 3.0
- 6.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-61
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2019-2942
6.4
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes runs tar inside the container to create a tar archive, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user’s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user’s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. Kubernetes affected versions include versions prior to 1.12.9, versions prior to 1.13.6, versions prior to 1.14.2, and versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11.
- Record
EUVD-2019-2942- CVSS 3.0
- 6.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-8wj5-gvvw-f5fh No score
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy...
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes runs tar inside the container to create a tar archive, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user?s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user?s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. Kubernetes affected versions include versions prior to 1.12.9, versions prior to 1.13.6, versions prior to 1.14.2, and versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11.
- Record
GHSA-8wj5-gvvw-f5fh- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
6.5
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes runs tar inside the container to create a tar archive, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user’s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user’s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. Kubernetes affected versions include versions prior to 1.12.9, versions prior to 1.13.6, versions prior to 1.14.2, and versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11.
- Record
CVE-2019-11246- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.0
- 6.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-61, CWE-22
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
6.5
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes runs tar inside the container to create a tar archive, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user’s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user’s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. Kubernetes affected versions include versions prior to 1.12.9, versions prior to 1.13.6, versions prior to 1.14.2, and versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11.
- Record
CVE-2019-11246- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2019:1632
5.3
Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.10 atomic-openshift security update
- Record
RHSA-2019:1632- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2019:1633
5.3
Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.11 atomic-openshift security update
- Record
RHSA-2019:1633- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVRHSA-2019:1852
5.3
Red Hat Security Advisory: OpenShift Container Platform 3.9 atomic-openshift security update
- Record
RHSA-2019:1852- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2019-11246
6.5
The kubectl cp command allows copying files between containers and the user machine. To copy files from a container, Kubernetes runs tar inside the container to create a tar archive, copies it over the network, and kubectl unpacks it on the user’s machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it could run any code and output unexpected, malicious results. An attacker could use this to write files to any path on the user’s machine when kubectl cp is called, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. Kubernetes affected versions include versions prior to 1.12.9, versions prior to 1.13.6, versions prior to 1.14.2, and versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2019-11246- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - CVSS 3.0
- 6.4 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
atomic-openshiftRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-clientsRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-clients-redistributableRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-docker-excluderRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-excluderRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-hyperkubeRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-hypershiftRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-masterRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-nodeRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-podRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
Show 30 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
atomic-openshift-sdn-ovsRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-template-service-brokerRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshift-testsRed Hat:openshift:3.10::el7 |
before 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 | 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7 |
atomic-openshiftRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-clientsRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-clients-redistributableRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-docker-excluderRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-excluderRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-hyperkubeRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-hypershiftRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-masterRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-nodeRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-podRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-sdn-ovsRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-template-service-brokerRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshift-testsRed Hat:openshift:3.11::el7 |
before 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 | 0:3.11.117-1.git.0.14e54a3.el7 |
atomic-openshiftRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-clientsRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-clients-redistributableRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-cluster-capacityRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-docker-excluderRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-excluderRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-federation-servicesRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-masterRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-nodeRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-podRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-sdn-ovsRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-service-catalogRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-template-service-brokerRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
atomic-openshift-testsRed Hat:openshift:3.9::el7 |
before 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 | 0:3.9.89-1.git.0.9454f2a.el7 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected | ||
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2019-11246 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.4) in Kubernetes, published August 29, 2019. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 3.63%, the 89th percentile. Fixed in atomic-openshift 0:3.10.149-1.git.0.05de590.el7.
References
github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/76788
groups.google.com/forum
security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190919-0003
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11246
github.com/advisories/GHSA-8wj5-gvvw-f5fh
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1632
Show 10 moreShow less
access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1721704
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2019/rhsa-2019_1632.json
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-11246
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-11246
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1633
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2019/rhsa-2019_1633.json
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1852
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2019/rhsa-2019_1852.json
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-11246