CVE-2018-20321

What it is

An issue was discovered in Rancher 2 through 2.1.5. Any project member with access to the default namespace can mount the netes-default service account in a pod, and then use that pod to execute administrative privileged commands against the k8s cluster. This could be mitigated by isolating the default namespace in a separate project, where only cluster admins can be given permissions to access. As of 2018-12-20, this bug affected ALL clusters created or imported by Rancher.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network with a low-privilege account. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.

Exploit odds

1.8% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2019-04-10 14:29 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 01:52 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 1.8% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 8.8 HIGH (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2019-04-10 14:29 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 01:52 UTC

Exploit probability

1.8% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-668 · Resource exposure

Record status

Modified

Affected

• Suse Rancher ≤ 2.1.5

Attack profile CVSS 3.0 · 8.8

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2018-20321.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2018-20321. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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