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
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes | Kubernetes | v1.36.0 – ≤ v1.36.4, v1.35.0 – ≤ v1.35.8, v1.34.0 – ≤ v1.34.11 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | kubernetes | No fix yet | — |
Advisories 1
- WID-SEC-2026-3613 Kubernetes (kubectl): Schwachstelle ermöglicht Manipulation von Dateien BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Sep 28, 2026