CVE-2025-15566: Kubernetes ingress-nginx · Improper Input Validation
Affects Kubernetes ingress-nginxSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.8 High : upgrade to 1.13.1 or 1.12.5 soon.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 44% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 1.13.1, 1.12.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 6 Feb 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.
What to do
Upgrade Kubernetes ingress-nginx to 1.13.1 or 1.12.5.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Kubernetesingress-nginx | Affected
| Fixed in– |
GitHubingress-nginxpkg:github/ingress-nginxOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
GitHubkubernetes/ingress-nginxpkg:github/kubernetes/ingress-nginxOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
To mitigate CVE-2025-15566, organizations should immediately review and restrict permissions related to Ingress resource creation and modification, limiting them to trusted administrators only. Implement strict admission controls and validation policies using Kubernetes Admission Controllers or Open Policy Agent (OPA) to detect and block malicious annotations like 'auth-proxy-set-headers' injection attempts. Monitor ingress-nginx controller logs and Kubernetes audit logs for unusual configuration changes or suspicious activity. If possible, isolate the ingress-nginx controller's access to Secrets by applying the principle of least privilege, restricting its service account permissions to only necessary Secrets rather than cluster-wide access. Stay updated with Kubernetes and ingress-nginx project releases and apply patches promptly once available. Consider deploying network segmentation and runtime security tools to detect anomalous behavior in the ingress controller. Additionally, conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on Kubernetes ingress configurations to identify and remediate similar risks proactively.
Description
A security issue was discovered in ingress-nginx where the `nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/auth-proxy-set-headers` Ingress annotation can be used to inject configuration into nginx. This can lead to arbitrary code execution in the context of the ingress-nginx controller, and disclosure of Secrets accessible to the controller. (Note that in the default installation, the controller can access all Secrets cluster-wide.)