CVE-2026-62371

KubeEdge: Command Injection in NodeUpgradeJob - RCE on edge nodes via v1alpha2 API

Workarounds

Until a patched version is available:

• restrict permission to create or update NodeUpgradeJob resources to trusted administrators;
• do not allow untrusted users or tenants to control the spec.version or spec.image fields;
• avoid using NodeUpgradeJob-based edge upgrades in environments where these fields may be influenced by untrusted users.

Credits

KubeEdge thanks Sang-Hoon Choi (KoreaSecurity, Sejong University)
for responsibly reporting this issue and for coordinating with the KubeEdge
maintainers through the security disclosure process.

The KubeEdge NodeUpgradeJob handler constructed the keadm upgrade edge command by concatenating the user-controlled spec.version and spec.image fields into a shell command.

An authenticated user with permission to create or update NodeUpgradeJob resources through the v1alpha2 API could include shell metacharacters in either field. When the upgrade job was processed, the injected command could be executed on the targeted edge node with the privileges available to the upgrade process.

Successful exploitation could result in arbitrary command execution and compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected edge node.

Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2026-62371 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.21.2, 1.22.2, 1.23.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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The fix removes shell-based command construction and invokes keadm using a structured argument list through exec.Command.

The version and image values are passed as separate literal arguments and are no longer interpreted by a command shell.

The fixed versions:

• KubeEdge v1.23.1
• KubeEdge v1.22.2
• KubeEdge v1.21.2

1. What is CVE-2026-62371? CVE-2026-62371 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in github.com/kubeedge/kubeedge (go), affecting versions >= 1.12.0, < 1.21.2. It is fixed in 1.21.2, 1.22.2, 1.23.1. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-62371? CVE-2026-62371 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which versions of github.com/kubeedge/kubeedge are affected by CVE-2026-62371? github.com/kubeedge/kubeedge (go) versions >= 1.12.0, < 1.21.2 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-62371? Yes. CVE-2026-62371 is fixed in 1.21.2, 1.22.2, 1.23.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-62371 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-62371 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-62371 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-62371?
   • Upgrade github.com/kubeedge/kubeedge to 1.21.2 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/kubeedge/kubeedge to 1.22.2 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/kubeedge/kubeedge to 1.23.1 or later

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/kubeedge/kubeedge