Traefik Inverted TLS Verification Logic in ingress-nginx Provider

## Impact There is a potential vulnerability in Traefik NGINX provider managing the `nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/proxy-ssl-verify` annotation. The provider inverts the semantics of the `nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/proxy-ssl-verify` annotation. Setting the annotation to `"on"` (intending to enable backend TLS certificate verification) actually disables verification, allowing man-in-the-middle attacks against HTTPS backends when operators believe they are protected. ## Patches - https://github.com/traefik/traefik/releases/tag/v3.6.3 ## For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please [open an issue](https://github.com/traefik/traefik/issues). <details> <summary>Original Description</summary> ### Summary A logic error in Traefik's experimental ingress-nginx provider inverts the semantics of the `nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/proxy-ssl-verify` annotation. Setting the annotation to `"on"` (intending to enable backend TLS certificate verification) actually disables verification, allowing man-in-the-middle attacks against HTTPS backends when operators believe they are protected. ### Details In `pkg/provider/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/kubernetes.go` at line 512, the `InsecureSkipVerify` field is set using inverted logic: ```go nst := &namedServersTransport{ Name: provider.Normalize(namespace + "-" + name), ServersTransport: &dynamic.ServersTransport{ ServerName: ptr.Deref(cfg.ProxySSLName, ptr.Deref(cfg.ProxySSLServerName, "")), InsecureSkipVerify: strings.ToLower(ptr.Deref(cfg.ProxySSLVerify, "off")) == "on", }, } ``` The expression `== "on"` evaluates to `true` when the annotation is `"on"`, setting `InsecureSkipVerify: true`. In Go's `crypto/tls`, `InsecureSkipVerify: true` means "do not verify the server's certificate" — the opposite of what `proxy-ssl-verify: "on"` should do according to NGINX semantics. **Current behavior:** | Annotation Value | InsecureSkipVerify | Actual Result | |------------------|-------------------|---------------| | `"on"` | `true` | Verification **disabled** ❌ | | `"off"` (default) | `false` | Verification **enabled** | **Expected behavior (per NGINX semantics):** | Annotation Value | InsecureSkipVerify | Expected Result | |------------------|-------------------|-----------------| | `"on"` | `false` | Verification **enabled** | | `"off"` (default) | `true` | Verification **disabled** | The test in `pkg/provider/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/kubernetes_test.go` lines 397-403 confirms this inverted behavior is codified as "expected": ```go ServersTransports: map[string]*dynamic.ServersTransport{ "default-ingress-with-proxy-ssl": { ServerName: "whoami.localhost", InsecureSkipVerify: true, // Wrong: should be false when annotation is "on" RootCAs: []types.FileOrContent{"-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----"}, }, }, ``` **Affected versions:** v3.5.0 through current master (introduced in commit `9bd5c617820f2a8d23b50b68d114bb7bc464eccd`) Pavel Kohout Aisle Research </details> -

Source published

8 Dec 2025 16:43:06 UTC

Source modified

10 Sep 2026 03:50:31 UTC

Observed here

24 Oct 2026 13:19:41 UTC

Source terms

GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0

Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON

This view projects the publisher's source fields for reading; the original JSON retains additional fields and CVE enrichment containers. Attribution: osv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0. Source text is retained; field grouping and change labels are provided by ChangeIntel.

CVSS_V3 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Publisher rating · MODERATE