# CVE-2019-9946: Misconfiguration in n/a

> The CNI portmap plugin misconfigures iptables rules, allowing HostPort traffic to bypass specific Kubernetes service definitions and security policies.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 2 Apr 2019
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** CLEANSTART-2025-IG62048, DEBIAN-CVE-2019-9946, GHSA-6g96-g4m6-hw69, RHBA-2019:0862

## What is CVE-2019-9946?

CVE-2019-9946 is a high-severity vulnerability in Kubernetes Kubernetes, published on 2 Apr 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) CNI (Container Networking Interface) 0.7.4 has a network firewall misconfiguration which affects Kubernetes. The CNI 'portmap' plugin, used to setup HostPorts for CNI, inserts rules at the front of the iptables nat chains; which take precedence over the KUBE- SERVICES chain. Because of this, the HostPort/portmap rule could match incoming traffic even if there were better fitting, more specific service definition rules like NodePorts later in the chain. The issue is fixed in CNI 0.7.5 and Kubernetes 1.11.9, 1.12.7, 1.13.5, and 1.14.0.

Weakness: CWE-670 (Always-Incorrect Control Flow Implementation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-9946?

It affects 3 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `containernetworking-plugins` | Red Hat:rhel_extras_other:7 | All versions | 0:0.7.5-2.el7 |
| `containernetworking-plugins-debuginfo` | Red Hat:rhel_extras_other:7 | All versions | 0:0.7.5-2.el7 |

Products: Cncf Portmap, Kubernetes Kubernetes, Netapp Cloud Insights.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-9946?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2019-9946 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-9946 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-9946 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-9946 is a high-severity vulnerability in Kubernetes Kubernetes, published on 2 Apr 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-9946 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Kubernetes Kubernetes. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9946/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9946/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-9946
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-9946
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-9946

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9946/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.