CVE-2026-101919
Description
A flaw was found in the HyperShift operator. The operator copies user-provided Kubernetes configuration (kubeconfig) secrets directly into the privileged control plane namespace without proper validation or sanitization. An authenticated user with cluster and secret creation permissions can exploit this vulnerability by supplying a configuration containing unauthorized executable plugins. When downstream controllers consume this configuration, an attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution within the control plane.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as an Important severity flaw because an authenticated tenant with standard resource creation privileges can break tenant isolation to compromise host control plane components. In Red Hat OpenShift environments utilizing Multicluster Engine, the HyperShift operator propagates client configuration data from tenant namespaces into hosting namespaces without filtering embedded executable plugins. As a result, downstream management controllers consuming these forwarded credentials can be induced to run untrusted binaries, elevating tenant privileges across the hosting infrastructure.
Mitigation
Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 8.8 | N/A | 8.8 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
PR:L - requires HostedCluster + Secret create in tenant namespace. This is the entry point for the CAPK RCE chain - HyperShift copies user-controlled kubeconfig verbatim into the control plane namespace with no sanitization, enabling exec-provider injection into downstream controllers.
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
An attacker could provide unexpected values and cause a program crash or arbitrary control of resource allocation, leading to excessive consumption of resources such as memory and CPU.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory; Read Files or Directories
An attacker could read confidential data if they are able to control resource references.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
An attacker could use malicious input to modify data or possibly alter control flow in unexpected ways, including arbitrary command execution.
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