CVE-2026-54523: Auth Bypass (CVSS 9.6)

Description

Kyverno is a policy engine designed for cloud native platform engineering teams. From 1.18.0 until 1.18.2, the NamespacedMutatingPolicy CEL compiler exposes the generator library to matchConditions, allowing a namespace-scoped policy to invoke generator.apply(namespace, resources) with an arbitrary target namespace. The validation in pkg/cel/policies/mpol/validate.go checks that the policy compiles but does not enforce namespace scope, and GenerateResources in pkg/cel/libs/context.go does not reject the cross-namespace target. A user who can create NamespacedMutatingPolicy objects in one namespace can cause the admission controller, operating with cluster-wide privileges, to create ConfigMaps, NetworkPolicies, Secrets, RoleBindings, and other resources in another namespace, enabling unauthorized modification and potential privilege escalation. This issue is fixed in version 1.18.2.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

9.6

CRITICAL

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0040

Probability of exploitation

0.34%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-862 Missing Authorization

References

Other References

https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/commit/0919553c0ea1904f8d891280c92018da97946a06 https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/commit/5164bcdeda5b57678bc2d7a03ecc2cbb02982dae https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pull/16238 https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/releases/tag/v1.18.2 https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-79gf-7frw-68m9 https://github.com/kyverno/sdk/commit/6573937441443e1ba5af9fbb28d5c0f20297f9df https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-79gf-7frw-68m9

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-54523? +

Kyverno is a policy engine designed for cloud native platform engineering teams. From 1.18.0 until 1.18.2, the NamespacedMutatingPolicy CEL compiler exposes the generator library to matchConditions, allowing a namespace-scoped policy to invoke generator.apply(namespace, resources) with an arbitrary target namespace. The validation in pkg/cel/policies/mpol/validate.go checks that the policy compiles but does not enforce namespace scope, and GenerateResources in pkg/cel/libs/context.go does not reject the cross-namespace target. A user who can create NamespacedMutatingPolicy objects in one namespace can cause the admission controller, operating with cluster-wide privileges, to create ConfigMaps, NetworkPolicies, Secrets, RoleBindings, and other resources in another namespace, enabling unauthorized modification and potential privilege escalation. This issue is fixed in version 1.18.2. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.6 (CRITICAL).

How severe is CVE-2026-54523? +

CVE-2026-54523 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 9.6 out of 10, rated CRITICAL. This is a critical vulnerability that should be patched immediately. The EPSS score is 0.0040, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-54523? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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