CVE-2020-15127 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

In Contour (Ingress controller for Kubernetes) before version 1.7.0, a vulnerability exists that allows a bad actor to shut down all instances of Envoy, leading to a denial of service attack.

Understanding CVE-2020-15127

This CVE describes a vulnerability in Contour that could be exploited to shut down all instances of Envoy, impacting the entire ingress data plane.

What is CVE-2020-15127?

CVE-2020-15127 is a vulnerability in Contour that allows unauthorized actors to initiate Envoy's shutdown procedure, potentially disrupting the entire ingress data plane.

The Impact of CVE-2020-15127

The vulnerability poses a high risk as bad actors can shut down all instances of Envoy, causing a denial of service and disrupting the routing pool.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-15127

This section provides detailed technical information about the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows unauthorized users to send GET requests to /shutdown on port 8090 of the Envoy pod, triggering Envoy's shutdown procedure without authentication.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Contour
Vendor: projectcontour
Versions Affected: < 1.7.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Network
Availability Impact: High
Privileges Required: None
Scope: Unchanged
Vulnerability Type: CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from CVE-2020-15127 with these mitigation strategies.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade Contour to version 1.7.0 or newer to mitigate the vulnerability.
Implement network security measures to restrict access to Envoy's shutdown manager endpoint.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software components to prevent vulnerabilities.
Implement strong authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to critical functions.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches and updates provided by Contour promptly to address security vulnerabilities.