Kubernetes Nodes can delete themselves by adding an OwnerReference (CVE-2025-5187) | HOL Guard CVE

Medium · CVSS 6.7CVE-2025-5187GHSA-4X4M-3C2P-QPPC

Kubernetes Nodes can delete themselves by adding an OwnerReference

Answer in brief

CVE-2025-5187 records a Medium severity (CVSS 6.7) vulnerability in Kubernetes Nodes can delete themselves by adding an OwnerReference. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps k8s.io/kubernetes (go), k8s.io/kubernetes (go), k8s.io/kubernetes (go). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Aug 27, 2025Updated Sep 10, 2026Source checked Sep 10, 2026First seen by HOL Sep 10, 2026Material review Sep 10, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: Medium · CVSS 6.7
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 3 mapped packages or products
Fix availability: Available

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 6.7. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps k8s.io/kubernetes (go), k8s.io/kubernetes (go), k8s.io/kubernetes (go). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
k8s.io/kubernetesgo	>=0 <1.31.12	1.31.12
k8s.io/kubernetesgo	>=1.32.0-alpha.0 <1.32.8	1.32.8
k8s.io/kubernetesgo	>=1.33.0-alpha.0 <1.33.4	1.33.4

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for k8s.io/kubernetes, k8s.io/kubernetes, k8s.io/kubernetes.
Review the reported fix. Update k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.31.12; k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.32.8; k8s.io/kubernetes to 1.33.4 if you use the affected versions. Test the change in a non-production environment first.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Aug 27, 2025
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Sep 10, 2026
Evidence: source:osv:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Sep 10, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

A vulnerability exists in the NodeRestriction admission controller in Kubernetes clusters where node users can delete their corresponding node object by patching themselves with an OwnerReference to a cluster-scoped resource. If the OwnerReference resource does not exist or is subsequently deleted, the given node object will be deleted via garbage collection.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.