CVE-2026-18951
Description
A flaw was found in the Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) overlay for the training operator. The RHOAI overlay incorrectly aggregates trainjobs management permissions into the native Kubernetes edit ClusterRole. This allows any user with edit ClusterRole permissions in a namespace to create, modify, and delete TrainJobs. When combined with a separate vulnerability (TRN-01) that permits arbitrary pod configurations, a remote attacker with namespace editor privileges could exploit this to escalate privileges, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.
Statement
This Critical vulnerability in Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) arises from the RHOAI overlay aggregating trainjobs CRUD operations into the native Kubernetes edit ClusterRole. This implicit permission grant allows any namespace editor to create, modify, and delete TrainJobs, significantly widening the attack surface for privilege escalation when combined with other vulnerabilities like PodSpec passthrough. This issue is specific to the RHOAI fork and not present in upstream Kubeflow trainer.
Mitigation
Administrators should review and adjust their Kubernetes RBAC configurations within Red Hat OpenShift AI to ensure that `trainjobs` permissions are explicitly managed. This involves removing `trainjobs` from the `aggregate-to-edit` ClusterRole labels or requiring explicit `RoleBinding` for `trainjobs` access. This prevents implicit permission grants to namespace editors and reduces the attack surface. Consult Kubernetes documentation for specific instructions on modifying ClusterRoles and RoleBindings. A restart or reload of affected components may be required for changes to take effect.
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).
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
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