[kubernetes] CVE-2025-9708: Kubernetes C# Client: improper certificate validation in custom CA mode may lead to man-in-the-middle attacks

[Rita Zhang <rita.z.zhang () gmail com>]

Hello Kubernetes Community,

A vulnerability exists in the Kubernetes C# client where the certificate
validation logic accepts properly constructed certificates from any
Certificate Authority (CA) without properly verifying the trust chain. This
flaw allows a malicious actor to present a forged certificate and
potentially intercept or manipulate communication with the Kubernetes API
server, leading to possible man-in-the-middle attacks and API impersonation.

This issue has been rated Med (6.8)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
<https://www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3-1#CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N>,
and assigned CVE-2025-9708.

Am I vulnerable?

You are vulnerable if:

- You use the Kubernetes C# client to connect to a Kubernetes API server
over TLS/HTTPS  with custom CA certificates in your kubeconfig file and
your connection occurs over an untrusted network.

Affected Versions

   -

   All versions of the Kubernetes C# client prior to the next release
   <=17.0.13

How do I mitigate this vulnerability?

This issue can be mitigated by:


   -

   Deploy the patch version of the Kubernetes C# client as soon as possible.
   -

   Moving the CA certificates into the system trust store instead of
   specifying them in the kubeconfig file. Note: This approach may introduce
   new risks, as all processes on the system will begin to trust certificates
   signed by that CA. If you must use an affected version, you can disable
   custom CA and add the CA to the machine's trusted root.

Fixed Versions

   -

   Kubernetes C# client >= v17.0.14

Detection

To determine if your applications are affected:

   -

   Review your usage of the Kubernetes C# client and inspect certificate
   validation logic.
   -

   Review your kubeconfig files and determine if you use a custom CA
   certificate (the certificate-authority field in the clusters section).
   -

   Review client logs for unexpected or untrusted certificate connections.


If you find evidence that this vulnerability has been exploited, please
contact security () kubernetes io

Thank You,

Rita Zhang on behalf of the Kubernetes Security Response Committee

Additional Details

See the GitHub issue for more details:
https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/134063

Acknowledgements

This vulnerability was reported by @elliott-beach

The issue was fixed and coordinated by:

Boshi Lian @tg123

Brendan Burns @brendandburns

Rita Zhang @ritazh

Thank You,

Rita Zhang on behalf of the Kubernetes Security Response Committee