CVE-2023-2728

Name: CVE-2023-2728
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2023-07-03T21:15:09.557+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 6.5/10EPSS 2.16%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2023-2728 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 6.5/10 on the CVSS scale. Users may be able to launch containers that bypass the mountable secrets policy enforced by the ServiceAccount admission plugin when using ephemeral containers. The policy ensures pods running with a service account may only reference secrets specified in the service account’s secrets field. EPSS estimates a 2.16% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Users may be able to launch containers that bypass the mountable secrets policy enforced by the ServiceAccount admission plugin when using ephemeral containers. The policy ensures pods running with a service account may only reference secrets specified in the service account’s secrets field. Kubernetes clusters are only affected if the ServiceAccount admission plugin and the `kubernetes.io/enforce-mountable-secrets` annotation are used together with ephemeral containers.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

6.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

EPSS Probability

2.16%

79.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-20

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Kubernetes	Kubernetes	<= 1.24.14
Kubernetes	Kubernetes	>= 1.25.0, <= 1.25.10
Kubernetes	Kubernetes	>= 1.26.0, <= 1.26.5
Kubernetes	Kubernetes	>= 1.27.0, <= 1.27.2

References

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/06/3Mailing List
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/118640Issue Tracking
https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/vPWYJ_L84m8Mailing List
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230803-0004/
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/06/3Mailing List
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/118640Issue Tracking
https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/vPWYJ_L84m8Mailing List
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20230803-0004/

Timeline

Published: Jul 3, 2023
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-2728?

How severe is CVE-2023-2728?

CVE-2023-2728 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 2.16% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2023-2728?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2023-2728?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST