CVE-2024-45041

External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation

Published Sep 9, 2024 CVSS 3.1 · 8.3 High EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
External Secrets Operator is a Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems. The external-secrets has a deployment called default-external-secrets-cert-controller, which is bound with a same-name ClusterRole. This ClusterRole has "get/list" verbs of secrets resources. It also has path/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations resources. This can be used to abuse the SA token of the deployment to retrieve or get ALL secrets in the whole cluster, capture and log all data from requests attempting to update Secrets, or make a webhook deny all Pod create and update requests. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.10.2.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
EUVD EUVD EUVD-2024-2861 External Secrets Operator is a Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems. The external-secrets has a deployment called default-external-secrets-cert-controller, which is bound with a same-name ClusterRole. This ClusterRole has "get/list" verbs of secrets resources. It also has path/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations resources. This can be used to abuse the SA token of the deployment to retrieve or get ALL secrets in the whole cluster, capture and log all data from requests attempting to update Secrets, or make a webhook deny all Pod create and update requests. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.10.2.
Github GHSA Github GHSA GHSA-qwgc-rr35-h4x9 External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared External-secrets external Secrets Operator
Weaknesses CWE-732
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:external-secrets:external_secrets_operator:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products External-secrets external Secrets Operator
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared External-secrets
External-secrets external-secrets
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:external-secrets:external-secrets:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products External-secrets
External-secrets external-secrets
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'poc', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description External Secrets Operator is a Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems. The external-secrets has a deployment called default-external-secrets-cert-controller, which is bound with a same-name ClusterRole. This ClusterRole has "get/list" verbs of secrets resources. It also has path/update verb of validatingwebhookconfigurations resources. This can be used to abuse the SA token of the deployment to retrieve or get ALL secrets in the whole cluster, capture and log all data from requests attempting to update Secrets, or make a webhook deny all Pod create and update requests. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.10.2.
Title External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation
Weaknesses CWE-269
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 8.3, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
GitHub_M
Published
Updated
Sep 9, 2024, 5:11 PM
Reserved
Aug 21, 2024, 5:53 PM
Status
Analyzed
Published
Sep 9, 2024, 3:15 PM
Modified
Jun 17, 2026, 7:53 AM