vulntracker.iovulntracker.io
© 2026 vulntracker.io

CVE-2022-21701

Privileged Escalation in Istio

HIGH
8.8
CVSS Score
Published: January 19, 2022 at 09:40 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 04:26 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorIstio

Using istio by istio?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect istio - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Start FreeSign In
Severity
HIGH8.8
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.8%
SSVC
No known exploit

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.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

Istio· Istio
95%
v < 1.12.21.12.01.12.0 alpha01.12.0 alpha11.12.0 alpha51.12.0 beta01.12.0 beta11.12.0 beta21.12.0 rc11.12.1
Affected range stops below 1.12.2, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

Patch and advisory references

References (2)

x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
Source: [email protected]
https://github.com/istio/istio/security/advisories/GHSA-mq8f-9446-c28r
x_refsource_MISCMitigationRelease NotesVendor Advisory
Source: [email protected]
https://istio.io/latest/news/releases/1.12.x/announcing-1.12.2/

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

8.8HIGH[email protected]
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-863

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Create accountSign in
Free plan, no card