CVE-2026-62290
Description
A flaw was found in cert-manager. A local attacker, with low privileges as a namespace user, could exploit a lack of admission validation when creating Challenge resources. This allows the attacker to bypass DNS01 solver selectors and cause cert-manager to use ClusterIssuer DNS credentials for attacker-selected provider settings and DNS names. The most significant consequence is the disclosure of sensitive information, specifically X-Api-User and X-Api-Key headers for acme-dns.
Statement
This vulnerability is rated as an Important severity flaw because an authenticated tenant with low-level namespace privileges can compromise cluster-scoped credentials across tenant boundaries, resulting in unauthorized cross-scope access and sensitive data exposure. In multi-tenant OpenShift environments utilizing cert-manager, administrators frequently deploy shared ClusterIssuers configured with DNS-01 provider credentials to automate certificate validation. Because admission controls fail to enforce ownership linkage between individual Challenge custom resources and legitimate Orders, unprivileged namespace users can craft custom Challenge solver specifications. Consequently, unauthorized actors can abuse privileged cluster-wide DNS provider configurations or expose sensitive provider API keys.
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 | 7.3 | N/A | 7.3 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| 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 | Low | N/A | Low |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/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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