Executive brief
KubeEdge is an edge computing platform that extends Kubernetes to edge devices. The ConfigUpdateJob feature, which manages configuration updates on edge nodes, is vulnerable to command injection when processing user-supplied configuration field values. An authenticated attacker with permission to create or modify configuration jobs can inject shell commands that execute with KubeEdge process privileges on targeted edge nodes, potentially compromising system integrity and availability.
Technical details
The vulnerability is a command injection flaw in the ConfigUpdateJob processor that concatenates user-controlled `updateFields` values directly into a shell command string without proper sanitization or escaping. The vulnerable component executes the resulting command via a system shell, allowing attackers to inject shell metacharacters and execute arbitrary commands. The attack requires authentication and RBAC permissions to create or modify ConfigUpdateJob resources, and targets enrolled edge nodes. The fix replaces shell-based command construction with structured argument passing, preventing metacharacter interpretation. Patches are available or planned for v1.23.1, v1.22.2, and v1.21.2.
Affected products
- KubeEdge KubeEdge before v1.23.1, v1.22.2, v1.21.2
Timeline
- 2026-09-22: disclosed
- 2026-09-22: patched: Fixes planned for v1.23.1, v1.22.2, v1.21.2