CVE-2026-17527
Description
In containerized-data-importer (CDI), the aggregated cdi.kubevirt.io:view ClusterRole, intended to provide read-only access to CDI resources, includes a rule granting create on the datavolumes/source subresource. CDI's DataVolume clone authorization accepts this permission as sufficient to authorize cloning the contents of any PVC the caller can name, without requiring write access to the source namespace. A user or service account bound to the view role, commonly granted cluster-wide via ClusterRoleBinding, who also has ordinary write access (edit/admin) to any single namespace, can use this to exfiltrate the contents of any PVC in the cluster into a namespace they control, bypassing namespace isolation and the read-only guarantee of the view role.
Statement
This flaw is confirmed upstream in kubevirt/containerized-data-importer and affects all downstream consumers using CDI's default aggregated RBAC roles, including OpenShift Virtualization. It is distinct from the SSP operator's "golden images" pattern, which deliberately and correctly scopes an equivalent permission via a namespace-scoped Role/RoleBinding.
Mitigation
Until a fix is available, cluster administrators should avoid granting cdi.kubevirt.io:view (or the built-in Kubernetes view role, which aggregates it) via cluster-wide ClusterRoleBinding. Prefer namespace-scoped RoleBindings, and audit which namespaces grant both view-equivalent access and separate edit/admin access to the same identities, since that combination is what enables cross-namespace data exfiltration.
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 | 7.7 | N/A | 7.7 |
| 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 | Changed | N/A | Changed |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Access Control
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
Access control checks for specific user data or functionality can be bypassed.
Access Control
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
Horizontal escalation of privilege is possible (one user can view/modify information of another user).
Access Control
Technical Impact: Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
Vertical escalation of privilege is possible if the user-controlled key is actually a flag that indicates administrator status, allowing the attacker to gain administrative access.
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