Summary
Kite Kubernetes proxy path traversal allows authenticated users to bypass RBAC and read cluster-wide resources
Kite versions 0.6.9 through 0.14.0 authorize Kubernetes proxy requests against the pod or service identified by the original route parameters. Encoded path traversal segments can cause the upstream URL to resolve to a different Kubernetes API endpoint after authorization.
Technical details
The authorization check is performed against the original namespace and kind route parameters. The proxy path is subsequently decoded and passed to url.JoinPath, which resolves .. segments and can produce an upstream URL outside the authorized pod or service proxy prefix.
Two input locations were affected:
- Encoded traversal segments in the proxy catch-all path.
- Encoded traversal and slash characters in the resource name.
Reproduction
- Create a user with a role granting only
pods:getin namespacedefault. - Create any pod in
default(e.g.nginx). - Send the following request (auth cookie required):
curl --path-as-is --cookie "auth_token=<JWT>" \
'http://<kite-host>/api/v1/_clusters/<cluster>/namespaces/default/pods/nginx/proxy/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/%2e%2e/kube-system/secrets'
Workarounds
Upgrade to 0.14.1 or later.
If upgrading is temporarily impossible, reject encoded dot segments and encoded slashes at the reverse proxy and restrict Kite's Kubernetes service account permissions. Reverse-proxy normalization should not be treated as a permanent fix.
Impact
An authenticated user with get permission on pods or services in one namespace can cause Kite to issue GET requests to Kubernetes API endpoints outside that namespace using Kite's service account.
With Kite's default Helm RBAC configuration, this allows cluster-wide resource disclosure, including Secrets. The validated impact is confidentiality only; resource modification and denial of service were not demonstrated.
Deployments using a restricted Kite service account are affected only up to the permissions granted to that service account.
GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). 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 (0.14.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Fixed in Kite 0.14.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM? GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/zxh326/kite (go), affecting versions >= 0.6.9, <= 0.14.0. It is fixed in 0.14.1.
- How severe is GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM? GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). 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.
- Which versions of github.com/zxh326/kite are affected by GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM? github.com/zxh326/kite (go) versions >= 0.6.9, <= 0.14.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM? Yes. GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM is fixed in 0.14.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM 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
- What actually determines whether GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM 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.
- How do I fix GHSA-C534-2W9C-X7FM? Upgrade
github.com/zxh326/kiteto 0.14.1 or later.