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GHSA-f94q-w3w8-cj67
Summary
A parameter order bug in internal/webhook/tenant/validation/hostname_regex.go causes the hostnameRegexHandler.OnUpdate webhook to validate the old Tenant object's AllowedHostnames.Regex instead of the new one being submitted. This allows an invalid (malformed) regex to bypass admission validation and be persisted to etcd, causing a Denial of Service for all Ingress operations within the affected tenant.
Details
The TypedHandler[T] interface defines OnUpdate as:
// handlers.go
OnUpdate(c client.Client, reader client.Reader, obj T, old T, decoder admission.Decoder, recorder events.EventRecorder) Func
// ^^^ NEW ^^^ OLD
The dispatcher in handler.go:93 calls:
hndl.OnUpdate(c, reader, tnt, old, decoder, recorder)
// ^^^ NEW ^^^ OLD
However, hostnameRegexHandler.OnUpdate in hostname_regex.go declares its parameters in reversed order:
// hostname_regex.go (BUGGY)
func (h *hostnameRegexHandler) OnUpdate(
_ client.Client,
_ client.Reader,
old *capsulev1beta2.Tenant, // ← receives NEW tenant (mislabeled as old)
tnt *capsulev1beta2.Tenant, // ← receives OLD tenant (mislabeled as tnt)
...
) handlers.Func {
return func(...) *admission.Response {
if err := h.validate(tnt, req); err != nil { // ← validates OLD, not NEW
return err
}
return nil
}
}
All 11 other handlers in the same package declare (tnt, old) correctly. hostname_regex.go is the only one with the swap.
As a result, when a Cluster Admin updates Tenant.Spec.IngressOptions.AllowedHostnames.Regex to a malformed value, the webhook compiles the previous valid regex and returns Allow. The malformed regex is then written to etcd.
Subsequently, every Ingress CREATE or UPDATE in that tenant triggers validate_hostnames.go:160:
matched, _ = regexp.MatchString(allowedRegex, currentHostname)
regexp.MatchString with an invalid pattern returns (false, error). The error is silently ignored, matched is false, and every hostname is rejected — blocking all Ingress operations in the tenant until the Tenant object is manually corrected by an admin.
PoC
//go:build ignore
// Standalone reproducer for hostname_regex.go argument swap bug in Capsule
// No external deps - shows the bug logic using only stdlib
package main
import (
"fmt"
"regexp"
)
// Simulating the Tenant spec structure
type AllowedHostnames struct {
Regex string
}
type IngressOptions struct {
AllowedHostnames *AllowedHostnames
}
type TenantSpec struct {
IngressOptions IngressOptions
}
type Tenant struct {
Name string
Spec TenantSpec
}
// =========================================================
// BUGGY implementation (hostname_regex.go as-is)
// OnUpdate(_, _, old *Tenant, tnt *Tenant) → validates OLD
// =========================================================
func hostnameValidate(tnt *Tenant) error {
if tnt.Spec.IngressOptions.AllowedHostnames == nil {
return nil
}
if len(tnt.Spec.IngressOptions.AllowedHostnames.Regex) == 0 {
return nil
}
_, err := regexp.Compile(tnt.Spec.IngressOptions.AllowedHostnames.Regex)
if err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("Deny: unable to compile allowedHostnames allowedRegex")
}
return nil
}
// Dispatcher calls: OnUpdate(c, reader, newTenant, oldTenant, ...)
// Interface says: OnUpdate(c, reader, obj[NEW], old[OLD], ...)
//
// BUGGY handler receives: (old, tnt) meaning:
// 3rd param (labeled "old") = actually NEW
// 4th param (labeled "tnt") = actually OLD
// Then calls h.validate(tnt) = validates the OLD tenant
func buggyOnUpdate(newTenant, oldTenant *Tenant) error {
// BUG: parameters are SWAPPED vs the interface contract
old := newTenant // dispatcher's "new" arrives as "old" in this function
tnt := oldTenant // dispatcher's "old" arrives as "tnt" in this function
_ = old // unused in the real code too
return hostnameValidate(tnt) // validates OLD, not NEW
}
// CORRECT implementation (what it should be)
func correctOnUpdate(newTenant, oldTenant *Tenant) error {
_ = oldTenant
return hostnameValidate(newTenant) // validates NEW
}
// Simulate ingress hostname validation AFTER bad regex is stored
func validateIngressHostname(tenant *Tenant, hostname string) bool {
if tenant.Spec.IngressOptions.AllowedHostnames == nil {
return true
}
allowedRegex := tenant.Spec.IngressOptions.AllowedHostnames.Regex
if len(allowedRegex) == 0 {
return true
}
// This is validate_hostnames.go:160 - error is IGNORED
matched, _ := regexp.MatchString(allowedRegex, hostname)
return matched
}
func main() {
fmt.Println("=== Capsule Bug Reproducer: hostname_regex.go argument swap ===")
fmt.Println()
oldTenant := &Tenant{
Name: "demo-tenant",
Spec: TenantSpec{
IngressOptions: IngressOptions{
AllowedHostnames: &AllowedHostnames{
Regex: `^[\w.-]+\.example\.com$`, // valid regex
},
},
},
}
// Attacker (cluster admin) sets an INVALID regex in the new spec
newTenant := &Tenant{
Name: "demo-tenant",
Spec: TenantSpec{
IngressOptions: IngressOptions{
AllowedHostnames: &AllowedHostnames{
Regex: `[invalid-regex(`, // INVALID regex
},
},
},
}
fmt.Printf("Old tenant regex: %q (valid)\n", oldTenant.Spec.IngressOptions.AllowedHostnames.Regex)
fmt.Printf("New tenant regex: %q (INVALID)\n", newTenant.Spec.IngressOptions.AllowedHostnames.Regex)
fmt.Println()
// Step 1: Webhook runs OnUpdate
fmt.Println("--- Step 1: Webhook OnUpdate ---")
err := buggyOnUpdate(newTenant, oldTenant)
if err != nil {
fmt.Printf("[BUGGY] Webhook DENIES update: %v\n", err)
} else {
fmt.Println("[BUGGY] Webhook ALLOWS update (validates OLD regex) ← WRONG")
}
err = correctOnUpdate(newTenant, oldTenant)
if err != nil {
fmt.Printf("[CORRECT] Webhook DENIES update: %v ← EXPECTED\n", err)
} else {
fmt.Println("[CORRECT] Webhook ALLOWS update")
}
// Step 2: Invalid regex now stored in etcd - simulate ingress validation
fmt.Println()
fmt.Println("--- Step 2: Ingress creation after bad regex stored ---")
storedTenant := newTenant // bad regex is now in etcd
hostnames := []string{
"app.example.com",
"api.example.com",
"evil.attacker.com",
}
for _, h := range hostnames {
allowed := validateIngressHostname(storedTenant, h)
fmt.Printf(" Ingress hostname %q → allowed=%v", h, allowed)
if !allowed {
fmt.Print(" ← BLOCKED (DoS: invalid regex causes all hostnames to fail)")
}
fmt.Println()
}
fmt.Println()
fmt.Println("=== Result ===")
fmt.Println("Invalid regex bypasses webhook validation and gets stored.")
fmt.Println("All subsequent Ingress create/update in this tenant are BLOCKED.")
fmt.Println("CWE-697: Incorrect Comparison — wrong Tenant object is validated.")
}
// Simulates the buggy webhook behaviour
oldTenant := &Tenant{AllowedRegex: `^[\w-]+\.example\.com$`} // valid
newTenant := &Tenant{AllowedRegex: `[invalid-regex(`} // malformed
// Buggy OnUpdate: validates oldTenant (valid) → ALLOW
// Correct OnUpdate: validates newTenant (invalid) → DENY
// After malformed regex is stored, all ingress hostnames are rejected:
matched, _ := regexp.MatchString(`[invalid-regex(`, "app.example.com")
// matched = false, error ignored → Ingress blocked
Fix
Swap the parameter names in hostname_regex.go to match the interface contract:
// BEFORE (buggy)
func (h *hostnameRegexHandler) OnUpdate(
_ client.Client,
_ client.Reader,
old *capsulev1beta2.Tenant,
tnt *capsulev1beta2.Tenant,
...
// AFTER (fixed)
func (h *hostnameRegexHandler) OnUpdate(
_ client.Client,
_ client.Reader,
tnt *capsulev1beta2.Tenant,
old *capsulev1beta2.Tenant,
...
Impact
A Cluster Admin (or a compromised admin account) can — intentionally or via a typo — set a malformed AllowedHostnames.Regex on any Tenant. The webhook silently accepts the update. All users in the affected tenant are subsequently unable to create or update any Ingress resource until an admin manually corrects the Tenant spec. This constitutes a targeted Denial of Service against the tenant's ingress layer.
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The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker needs high-level or administrative privileges. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability can affect other systems as well, not just the initial system. There is a high impact on the availability of the system.
Exploitation attempts have been detected. Elevated vigilance and prompt remediation are advised.
The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.
We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.
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