How severe is CVE-2020-8557?

CVE-2020-8557 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-8557 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (39th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-8557?

CVE-2020-8557 affects Kubernetes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-8557?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-8557 published?

CVE-2020-8557 was published on 2020-07-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-8557

CVE-2020-8557 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Kubernetes with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-400.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (39th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-400
Affected product: Kubernetes
Published: 2020-07-23
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Kubernetes kubelet component in versions 1.1-1.16.12, 1.17.0-1.17.8 and 1.18.0-1.18.5 do not account for disk usage by a pod which writes to its own /etc/hosts file. The /etc/hosts file mounted in a pod by kubelet is not included by the kubelet eviction manager when calculating ephemeral storage usage by a pod. If a pod writes a large amount of data to the /etc/hosts file, it could fill the storage space of the node and cause the node to fail.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-8557?: The Kubernetes kubelet component in versions 1.1-1.16.12, 1.17.0-1.17.8 and 1.18.0-1.18.5 do not account for disk usage by a pod which writes to its own /etc/hosts file. The /etc/hosts file mounted in a pod by kubelet is not included by the kubelet eviction manager when calculating ephemeral storage usage by a pod. If a pod writes a large amount of data to the /etc/hosts file, it could fill the storage space of the node and cause the node to fail.
How severe is CVE-2020-8557?: CVE-2020-8557 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-8557 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (39th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-8557?: CVE-2020-8557 affects Kubernetes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-8557?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-8557 published?: CVE-2020-8557 was published on 2020-07-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:kubernetes:kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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