CVE-2025-24513 is a vulnerability identified in the Kubernetes ingress-nginx project, specifically within the Admission Controller component. The flaw arises from improper input validation (CWE-20) where attacker-supplied data is incorporated into filenames without adequate sanitization. This leads to directory traversal attacks inside the containerized environment, enabling an attacker to potentially access or overwrite files outside the intended directory scope. The primary impact is denial of service (DoS) by corrupting or interfering with critical files. Moreover, if combined with other vulnerabilities, it may allow limited disclosure of Kubernetes Secret objects, which contain sensitive credentials and configuration data. The vulnerability affects ingress-nginx versions from initial releases up to 1.12.0. Exploitation requires network access but no privileges or user interaction, though the attack complexity is rated high due to the need for precise input crafting. No known public exploits are reported yet. The vulnerability was published on March 24, 2025, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.8, indicating medium severity. The ingress-nginx Admission Controller is widely used in Kubernetes clusters to manage ingress traffic, making this vulnerability relevant for many cloud-native deployments.

For European organizations, the vulnerability poses a risk primarily to the availability and confidentiality of Kubernetes-managed applications. Denial of service could disrupt critical business services relying on ingress-nginx for routing external traffic. The potential disclosure of Secret objects, although limited, could lead to credential exposure, enabling further attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within clusters. Organizations running multi-tenant or sensitive workloads in Kubernetes clusters are particularly vulnerable. The impact is amplified in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government, where data confidentiality and service availability are paramount. Given the widespread adoption of Kubernetes and ingress-nginx in Europe, especially in cloud service providers and enterprises embracing DevOps, this vulnerability could affect a broad range of infrastructures. However, the higher attack complexity and lack of known exploits reduce immediate risk but do not eliminate it.

Organizations should prioritize upgrading ingress-nginx to versions later than 1.12.0 once patches are released by the Kubernetes project. In the interim, administrators can mitigate risk by implementing strict input validation and sanitization at the Admission Controller level to prevent malicious filename inputs. Restricting Admission Controller permissions and isolating its runtime environment can limit the impact of potential exploitation. Monitoring ingress-nginx logs for unusual filename patterns or access attempts may help detect exploitation attempts early. Employing Kubernetes security best practices such as Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to minimize permissions, network segmentation, and regular secret rotation will reduce the potential damage from any secret disclosure. Additionally, organizations should stay informed about updates from the Kubernetes security advisories and apply patches promptly.