How severe is CVE-2023-2728?

CVE-2023-2728 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2023-2728 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (80th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-2728?

CVE-2023-2728 affects Kubernetes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-2728?

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

When was CVE-2023-2728 published?

CVE-2023-2728 was published on 2023-07-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-2728

CVE-2023-2728 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Kubernetes with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. 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-20.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (80th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-20
Affected product: Kubernetes
Published: 2023-07-03
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Users may be able to launch containers that bypass the mountable secrets policy enforced by the ServiceAccount admission plugin when using ephemeral containers. The policy ensures pods running with a service account may only reference secrets specified in the service account’s secrets field. Kubernetes clusters are only affected if the ServiceAccount admission plugin and the `kubernetes.io/enforce-mountable-secrets` annotation are used together with ephemeral containers.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-2728?: Users may be able to launch containers that bypass the mountable secrets policy enforced by the ServiceAccount admission plugin when using ephemeral containers. The policy ensures pods running with a service account may only reference secrets specified in the service account’s secrets field. Kubernetes clusters are only affected if the ServiceAccount admission plugin and the `kubernetes.io/enforce-mountable-secrets` annotation are used together with ephemeral containers.
How severe is CVE-2023-2728?: CVE-2023-2728 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2023-2728 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (80th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-2728?: CVE-2023-2728 affects Kubernetes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-2728?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2023-2728 published?: CVE-2023-2728 was published on 2023-07-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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

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