CVE-2025-1974: kubernetes ingress-nginx advisory

Advisory generated from the CVE record, CISA, Exploit Observer and VEDAS: what it is, whether it is exploited, who is affected, and how to fix and detect it.

What it is

A security issue was discovered in Kubernetes where under certain conditions, an unauthenticated attacker with access to the pod network can achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the ingress-nginx controller. This can lead to disclosure of Secrets accessible to the controller. (Note that in the default installation, the controller can access all Secrets cluster-wide.)

Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by kubernetes, published 2025-03-24).

Weakness: CWE-653 Improper Isolation or Compartmentalization

How it can be exploited

Exploitable over the network with low attack complexity needing no privileges and no user interaction. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high. CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA assesses that a public proof of concept exists. Automatable: yes. Technical impact: total.

Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)

Also known as: BDU:2025-03219, CNNVD-202503-2826, CNVD-2025-05883, EDB-52338, EDB-52475, EUVD-2025-8035, EUVD-2025-8256, GHSA-mgvx-rpfc-9mpv, GHSA-x237-489c-52j2, SNYK-GOLANG-K8SIOINGRESSNGINXINTERNALINGRESSANNOTATIONSAUTH-9512200

VEDAS cluster: VEDAS:COSMICHAMMER

Exploit Observer links 32 pieces of public exploit code or detection modules that name this CVE or one of its aliases.

Exploit code and modules (32)

Code that names this CVE. A repository can be a working exploit, a scanner, a fake or malware; read it before running anything.

Exploit-DB: https://www.exploit-db.com/raw/52338
Exploit-DB: https://www.exploit-db.com/raw/52475
Nuclei template: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/main/cloud/kubernetes/cves/2025/CVE-2025-1974-k8s.yaml
Nuclei template: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/main/cloud/kubernetes/cves/2025/CVE-2025-1974.yaml
Nuclei template: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/main/http/cves/2025/CVE-2025-1974.yaml
Code repository: https://github.com/0xbingo/cve-2025-1974
Code repository: https://github.com/abrewer251/cve-2025-1974_ingressnightmare_poc
Code repository: https://github.com/armand2002/exploit-cve-2025-1974-lab
Code repository: https://github.com/ashwesker/ashwesker-cve-2025-1974
Code repository: https://github.com/biitts/poc-ingressnightmare-cve-2025-1974
Code repository: https://github.com/boianeduard/cve-2025-1974
Code repository: https://github.com/chhhd/cve-2025-1974
and 20 more

Research and write-ups (4)

Research or write-up: https://kubernetes.io/blog/2025/03/24/ingress-nginx-cve-2025-1974
Research or write-up: https://ptsecurity.com/ru-ru/research/trending-vulnerabilities/CVE-2025-1974
Research or write-up: https://www.ptsecurity.com/ru-ru/research/trending-vulnerabilities/CVE-2025-1974
Research or write-up: https://www.rapid7.com/db/vulnerabilities/kubernetes-ingress-nginx-cve-2025-1974

Vulnerability databases and vendor advisories (13)

Catalogue entries, not exploit evidence.

Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2025-1974
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/enisa/EUVD-2025-8035
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/enisa/EUVD-2025-8256
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mgvx-rpfc-9mpv
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-x237-489c-52j2
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2025-1974
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-1974
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-mgvx-rpfc-9mpv
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-GOLANG-K8SIOINGRESSNGINXINTERNALINGRESSANNOTATIONSAUTH-9512200
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://www.cnnvd.org.cn/home/globalSearch?keyword=CNNVD-202503-2826
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://www.cnvd.org.cn/flaw/show/CNVD-2025-05883
Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-1974
and 1 more

165 more references returned by Exploit Observer did not name this CVE or an alias, so they are left out.

VEDAS data as of 2026-11-01T17:12 UTC; fetched 2026-11-02.

Live scores

EPSS: 0.994
very likely to be attacked soon
VEDAS: 0.980
strong exploit evidence
On CISA KEV: Not listed
Detection rule: Nuclei · Suricata

Who is affected

Product	Affected	Not affected
kubernetes ingress-nginx	up to and including 1.11.4 version 1.12.0	Not stated

Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.

How to fix it

No fixed version or vendor advisory is listed in the CVE record yet. Watch the vendor’s security page.

How to detect it

Nuclei template (active check)

Ingress NGINX - Remote Code Execution
A security issue was discovered in Kubernetes where under certain conditions, an unauthenticated attacker with access to the pod network can achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the ingress-nginx controller. This can lead to disclosure of Secrets accessible to the controller.

Name and description quoted from the template, written by VEDAS.

The template sends 1 request (POST /); it decides using word matchers. Severity in the template: critical. Marked as not yet verified against a live vulnerable target.

Run it against a host you own or are authorised to test:

bash

nuclei -u https://your-host -t CVE-2025-1974.yaml

Show the template (118 lines)

yaml

id: CVE-2025-1974

info:
  name: "Ingress NGINX - Remote Code Execution"
  author: vedas-arpsyndicate
  severity: critical
  description: |
    A security issue was discovered in Kubernetes where under certain conditions, an unauthenticated attacker with
    access to the pod network can achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the ingress-nginx controller.
    This can lead to disclosure of Secrets accessible to the controller.
  reference:
    - https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2025-1974&match=exact
    - https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=ingress-nginx&match=exact
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 9.8
    cve-id: CVE-2025-1974
    cwe-id: CWE-653
  metadata:
    verified: false
  tags: cve,cve2025,ingress-nginx,devops,kubernetes,ingress,nginx,k8s,vuln,vkev
variables:
  string: "{{to_lower('{{randstr}}')}}"

http:
  - raw:
      - |
        POST / HTTP/1.1
        Host: {{Hostname}}
        Content-Type: application/json

        {
          "kind": "AdmissionReview",
          "apiVersion": "admission.k8s.io/v1",
          "request": {
            "uid": "{{string}}",
            "kind": {
              "group": "networking.k8s.io",
              "version": "v1",
              "kind": "Ingress"
            },
            "resource": {
              "group": "networking.k8s.io",
              "version": "v1",
              "resource": "ingresses"
            },
            "requestKind": {
              "group": "networking.k8s.io",
              "version": "v1",
              "kind": "Ingress"
            },
            "requestResource": {
              "group": "networking.k8s.io",
              "version": "v1",
              "resource": "ingresses"
            },
            "name": "test-{{randstr}}",
            "namespace": "default",
            "operation": "CREATE",
            "userInfo": {
              "uid": "{{string}}"
            },
            "object": {
              "kind": "Ingress",
              "apiVersion": "networking.k8s.io/v1",
              "metadata": {
                "name": "test-{{randstr}}",
                "namespace": "default",
                "creationTimestamp": null,
                "uid": "InjectTest#;\n\n}\n}\n}\nload_module test;",
                "annotations": {
                  "nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/mirror-target": "fake-mirror-target"
                }
              },
              "spec": {
                "ingressClassName": "nginx",
                "rules": [
                  {
                    "host": "test.example.com",
                    "http": {
                      "paths": [
                        {
                          "path": "/",
                          "pathType": "Prefix",
                          "backend": {
                            "service": {
                              "name": "kubernetes",
                              "port": {
                                "number": 443
                              }
                            }
                          }
                        }
                      ]
                    }
                  }
                ]
              },
              "status": {
                "loadBalancer": {}
              }
            },
            "oldObject": null,
            "dryRun": true,
            "options": {
              "kind": "CreateOptions",
              "apiVersion": "meta.k8s.io/v1"
            }
          }
        }
    matchers:
      - type: word
        part: body
        words:
          - 'AdmissionReview'
          - 'load_module'
          - 'directive is specified too late'
        condition: and

CVE-2025-1974.yaml on GitHub

Suricata rules (network detection)

1 rule that alert on traffic matching this exploit: VEDAS CVE-2025-1974 Ingress NGINX - Remote Code Execution. Add them to your Suricata rule set and reload.

Show the rules

suricata

alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HTTP_SERVERS $HTTP_PORTS (msg:"VEDAS CVE-2025-1974 Ingress NGINX - Remote Code Execution"; flow:established,to_client; file.data; content:"AdmissionReview"; nocase; fast_pattern; classtype:web-application-attack; reference:cve,CVE-2025-1974; reference:url,https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2025-1974&match=exact; reference:url,https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=ingress-nginx&match=exact; sid:1011484; rev:1;)

CVE-2025-1974.rules on GitHub

Advisories on this CVE

Ingress-NightMare, Kubernetes ingress-nginx (CVE-2025-1974 plus -1097, -1098, -24514, -24513) (24 Mar 2025)

References

Other references

Other databases

Where this comes from

This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer, vedas-signatures. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.