Code exec via yaml parsing

published 2021-10-11 5 y ago modified 2026-06-17 4 mo ago also GHSA-m8wh-mqgf-rr8g , EUVD-2021-2229

cvss: 6.7; version 3.1, CNA
cisa kev: Not listed; not in CISA's catalog
epss: 0.5%; EPSS 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 41%
public exploits: 0; none known

Loading specially-crafted yaml with the Kubernetes Java Client library can lead to code execution.

Patch / fix

fixed in 2

maven io.kubernetes:client-java 11.0.1
kubernetes java 11.0.1

Vendor advisories

What the vendors themselves say about their products: affected, fixed or not affected, and what to do.

red hat product security vex CVE-2021-25738 updated 2026-11-07 cvss 6.7

kubernetes-client: Loading specially-crafted yaml can lead to code execution

Red Hat Decision Manager 7 kubernetes-client Red Hat Fuse 7 kubernetes-client Red Hat Integration Camel K 1 kubernetes-client Red Hat JBoss Fuse 6 kubernetes-client Red Hat Process Automation 7 kubernetes-client
not affected: vulnerable code not present

Red Hat CSAF VEX © Red Hat, Inc., from https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/; changed: reduced to product statuses and remediations. CC BY 4.0 · csaf

Exploit prediction

0.47% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 41% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).

CVSS scores

assigned by	version	score	vector
CNA	3.1	6.7	CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD	3.1	6.7	CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD	2.0	4.6	AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
GitHub	3.1	6.7	CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected packages

ecosystem	package	affected	fixed in
maven	io.kubernetes:client-java	<11.0.1	11.0.1

Affected products

Kubernetes Kubernetes Java Client

Classification

Weakness

CWE-20 Improper Input Validation
CWE-502 Deserialization of Untrusted Data

References

groups.google.com /g/kubernetes-security-announce/c/K_pOK2WbAJk
web, mailing-list, third-party-advisory
github.com /kubernetes-client/java/issues/1698
web, issue-tracking, third-party-advisory
openwall.com /lists/oss-security/2022/08/23/2
mailing-list, web, third-party-advisory
nvd.nist.gov /vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25738
advisory
github.com /kubernetes-client/java
package

Sources

Fencer Vulns keeps one entry per vulnerability: the CVE id wins, then GHSA, and records that alias each other are merged, except that two CVEs always keep separate entries. The same data is available as JSON.

Summary