How severe is CVE-2022-21701?

CVE-2022-21701 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.

Is CVE-2022-21701 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (51st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2022-21701?

CVE-2022-21701 primarily affects Istio. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2022-21701?

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

When was CVE-2022-21701 published?

CVE-2022-21701 was published on 2022-01-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2022-21701

CVE-2022-21701 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Istio with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0. 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-863.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.0)
CVSS v2: 6.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (51st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-863
Affected product: Istio
Published: 2022-01-19
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Istio is an open platform to connect, manage, and secure microservices. In versions 1.12.0 and 1.12.1 Istio is vulnerable to a privilege escalation attack. Users who have `CREATE` permission for `gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io` objects can escalate this privilege to create other resources that they may not have access to, such as `Pod`. This vulnerability impacts only an Alpha level feature, the Kubernetes Gateway API. This is not the same as the Istio Gateway type (gateways.networking.istio.io), which is not vulnerable. Users are advised to upgrade to resolve this issue. Users unable to upgrade should implement any of the following which will prevent this vulnerability: Remove the gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io CustomResourceDefinition, set PILOT_ENABLE_GATEWAY_API_DEPLOYMENT_CONTROLLER=true environment variable in Istiod, or remove CREATE permissions for gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io objects from untrusted users.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2022-21701?: Istio is an open platform to connect, manage, and secure microservices. In versions 1.12.0 and 1.12.1 Istio is vulnerable to a privilege escalation attack. Users who have `CREATE` permission for `gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io` objects can escalate this privilege to create other resources that they may not have access to, such as `Pod`. This vulnerability impacts only an Alpha level feature, the Kubernetes Gateway API. This is not the same as the Istio Gateway type (gateways.networking.istio.io), which is not vulnerable. Users are advised to upgrade to resolve this issue. Users unable to upgrade should implement any of the following which will prevent this vulnerability: Remove the gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io CustomResourceDefinition, set PILOT_ENABLE_GATEWAY_API_DEPLOYMENT_CONTROLLER=true environment variable in Istiod, or remove CREATE permissions for gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io objects from untrusted users.
How severe is CVE-2022-21701?: CVE-2022-21701 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.
Is CVE-2022-21701 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (51st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2022-21701?: CVE-2022-21701 primarily affects Istio. In total, 9 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2022-21701?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2022-21701 published?: CVE-2022-21701 was published on 2022-01-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (9)

cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.0:alpha0:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.0:alpha1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.0:alpha5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.0:beta0:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.0:beta1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.0:beta2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:istio:istio:1.12.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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