CVE-2026-54100
Description
A flaw was found in the Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. WMCO establishes SSH connections to Windows worker nodes without verifying the remote server host key. An adjacent-network attacker who can intercept or redirect WMCO's SSH session can capture WICD and kubelet bootstrap credentials transferred during node configuration, enabling compromise of Windows node identities in the cluster.
Statement
This flaw affects Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) with one or more Windows worker nodes. Clusters without Windows nodes or without WMCO installed are not affected. Red Hat Security Ratings classify this as High severity because successful exploitation yields highly sensitive node bootstrap and WICD credentials, but requires adjacent network positioning and favorable timing rather than direct remote exploitation of the Kubernetes API.
Mitigation
At this time, no mitigation or workaround is available for this vulnerability. Customers are advised to apply the appropriate updates as they become available.
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 | 8.3 | N/A | 8.3 |
| Attack Vector | Adjacent Network | N/A | Adjacent Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | High |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Changed | N/A | Changed |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Authentication
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism; Gain Privileges or Assume Identity
When a certificate is invalid or malicious, it might allow an attacker to spoof a trusted entity by interfering in the communication path between the host and client. The product might connect to a malicious host while believing it is a trusted host, or the product might be deceived into accepting spoofed data that appears to originate from a trusted host.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.
