HIGH CVSS 7.1
Published: 2020-11-17

CVE-2020-28914

katacontainers kata-containers Security Advisory (CVE-2020-28914)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2020-28914 impacting katacontainers kata-containers. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.1 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
An improper file permissions vulnerability affects Kata Containers prior to 1.11.5. When using a Kubernetes hostPath volume and mounting either a file or directory into a container as readonly, the file/directory is mounted as readOnly inside the container, but is still writable inside the guest. For a container breakout situation, a malicious guest can potentially modify or delete files/directories expected to be read-only.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product katacontainers / kata-containers
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-732

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2020-28914 impacting katacontainers kata-containers.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2020-28914.yaml
id: cve-2020-28914

info:
  name: katacontainers kata-containers - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2020-28914 affecting katacontainers kata-containers.
    Evaluation: An improper file permissions vulnerability affects Kata Containers prior to 1.11.5. When using a Kubernetes hostPath volume and mounting either a file...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2020-28914
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 7.1
    cve-id: CVE-2020-28914
    cwe-id: CWE-732
  tags: cve,cve-2020-28914,katacontainers,kata-containers,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "kata-containers"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2020-28914.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2020-28914
# Target: katacontainers kata-containers | CVSS: 7.1 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2020-28914 (katacontainers kata-containers)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against katacontainers kata-containers scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2020-28914.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2020-28914
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install kata-containers 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade kata-containers 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update kata-containers

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i kata-containers 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i kata-containers

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2020-28914 in katacontainers kata-containers?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update katacontainers kata-containers packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2020-28914?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2020-28914?

CVE-2020-28914 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.1 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.1
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2020-28914
Weakness CWE-732
Vendor katacontainers
Product kata-containers
Published 2020-11-17
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H