If you are managing a Kubernetes cluster and your workloads use the old in-tree gitRepo volume to clone Git repositories, a new critical vulnerability—CVE-2025-1767—could leave your cluster dangerously exposed. This post breaks down what’s at risk, how this vulnerability operates, and offers both code insights and real-world links to help you understand and mitigate this threat.

What is CVE-2025-1767?

CVE-2025-1767 exploits the in-tree gitRepo volume feature in Kubernetes. Although this feature is deprecated (and should have been replaced with alternative solutions like init containers), many clusters still use it to automatically clone code from Git repositories when pods start.

The vulnerability exists only when pods use the in-tree gitRepo volume to clone repos.

- It allows a pod on the same node to interfere with or hijack the cloning process of another pod, enabling lateral movement or even arbitrary code injection into a victim container.

This feature is deprecated and will not get security fixes. If you’re still using it, you’re at ongoing risk.

How Does CVE-2025-1767 Work?

When a pod specifies a gitRepo volume in its manifest, Kubernetes clones the specified repo into a shared directory on the host, which is then mounted into the pod. The process isn’t isolated—other pods on the same node can access or even overwrite the cloned data by racing the mount operation or by tampering with symlinks.

1. An application manifests with gitRepo

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: victim-pod
spec:
  containers:
  - name: app
    image: busybox
    volumeMounts:
    - name: repo
      mountPath: /app/repo
  volumes:
  - name: repo
    gitRepo:
      repository: "https://github.com/example-org/production-app";
      revision: "main"

2. Attacker Monitors for gitRepo Activity

A malicious pod on the same node watches for newly mounted directories related to gitRepo. It detects when the victim is about to access its repository.

3. Attacker Overwrites Repo Contents

The attacker’s pod writes malicious files to the host path used by Kubernetes for the victim’s gitRepo clone (e.g., /var/lib/kubelet/pods/<pod-uid>/volumes/kubernetes.io~git-repo/repo/). This path is predictable:

import shutil
import os

# Replace these with discovered values
target_path = "/var/lib/kubelet/pods/<victim-uid>/volumes/kubernetes.io~git-repo/repo/README.md"

with open(target_path, "w") as f:
    f.write("# PWNED!\n\nEvil code here.")

# Optionally drop a malicious binary
shutil.copy("evil_binary", os.path.join(target_path, "main.py"))

4. Victim Pod Runs Compromised Code

The victim’s application now runs (or builds upon) malicious code, possibly revealing secrets, escalating access, or launching further attacks inside your cluster.

Run:

kubectl get pods -A -o yaml | grep gitRepo
kubectl get deployments -A -o yaml | grep gitRepo

Or search your YAML manifests

grep -r gitRepo ./manifests

Official References

- Kubernetes In-tree Volume Plugin Deprecation Notice
- Kubernetes GitRepo Volume Docs
- CVE-2025-1767 at MITRE _(link may be updated after publication)_
- Kubernetes Issue Tracker: gitRepo Vulnerability

Sample replacement with an init container

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: safe-pod
spec:
  initContainers:
    - name: git-clone
      image: alpine/git
      command: ['git', 'clone', '--single-branch', '--branch', 'main', 'https://github.com/example-org/production-app';, '/repo']
      volumeMounts:
        - name: repo
          mountPath: /repo
  containers:
    - name: app
      image: busybox
      volumeMounts:
        - name: repo
          mountPath: /app/repo
  volumes:
    - name: repo
      emptyDir: {}

Note: Only clone from trusted locations and validate your code integrity!

Conclusion

CVE-2025-1767 is a wake-up call for teams hanging on to deprecated Kubernetes features. The security risk is not hypothetical—attackers can and will target clusters using gitRepo. Eliminate in-tree gitRepo usage as soon as possible.

Did this help? For deeper dives or hands-on help, see

- Kubernetes Security Best Practices
- Securing Workloads: Lateral Movement

Have questions or your own detection tips? Leave a comment below!

Timeline

Published on: 03/13/2025 17:15:36 UTC
Last modified on: 03/17/2025 16:59:37 UTC