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CVE PROGRAM SOURCE RECORD6.5 Medium

CVE-2026-19444

Kubernetes kubectl cp path traversal on Windows allows arbitrary file writes

Description

A path traversal vulnerability was discovered in the Kubernetes kubectl client's kubectl cp command on Windows. When copying files from a container, kubectl runs tar inside the container to build a tar archive, transfers it over the network, and unpacks it on the local machine. If the tar binary in the container is malicious, it can execute arbitrary code and emit unexpected output, allowing an attacker who controls container contents to write files to arbitrary paths on the user's local machine when kubectl cp is invoked, limited only by the system permissions of the local user. This issue only affects kubectl clients running on Windows.

Affected products

Version statuses are supplied by the assigning organization. Consult the original record for detailed ranges and platform conditions.

Kubernetes Kubernetes

Default version status: unaffected

  • v1.36.0 to ≤ v1.36.4affected
  • v1.35.0 to ≤ v1.35.8affected
  • v1.34.0 to ≤ v1.34.11affected
  • v1.0 to ≤ v1.33.13unknown

References