CVE-2026-55226: Privilege Escalation (CVSS 5.4)

Description

Strimzi provides a way to run an Apache Kafka cluster on Kubernetes or OpenShift in various deployment configurations. In Strimzi 1.0.0 and earlier, deploying only the Topic Operator or only the User Operator through the Kafka custom resource leaves the Entity Operator ServiceAccount with RBAC permissions for both components. The excess permissions can allow access to KafkaUser custom resources and Secrets when the User Operator is absent, or access to KafkaTopic custom resources when the Topic Operator is absent. This issue is fixed in versions 1.0.1 and 1.1.0.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.4

MEDIUM

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0018

Probability of exploitation

0.08%

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-269 CWE-269

CWE-272 CWE-272

References

Other References

https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/commit/b3bfeffcc30754c3e62e6f4afd8a76942cac440d https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/commit/f6c5207ba7ec89b46ce6720b8638d647e556a261 https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/pull/12844 https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/releases/tag/1.0.1 https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/releases/tag/1.1.0 https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/security/advisories/GHSA-r427-j2h7-wv3m

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-55226? +

Strimzi provides a way to run an Apache Kafka cluster on Kubernetes or OpenShift in various deployment configurations. In Strimzi 1.0.0 and earlier, deploying only the Topic Operator or only the User Operator through the Kafka custom resource leaves the Entity Operator ServiceAccount with RBAC permissions for both components. The excess permissions can allow access to KafkaUser custom resources and Secrets when the User Operator is absent, or access to KafkaTopic custom resources when the Topic Operator is absent. This issue is fixed in versions 1.0.1 and 1.1.0. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-55226? +

CVE-2026-55226 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.4 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0018, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-55226? +

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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