CVE-2026-66781
Description
A flaw was found in the Submariner operator. The Submariner Custom Resource (CR), used for configuring network connectivity, stores the IPsec pre-shared key (PSK) in an unencrypted format. This key, which is critical for securing communication between Kubernetes clusters, can be accessed by unauthorized parties. Such access enables an attacker to passively decrypt network traffic flowing between any two clusters in the mesh, resulting in sensitive information disclosure.
Statement
This Important vulnerability in submariner-operator exposes the IPsec pre-shared key (PSK) in cleartext within the Submariner Custom Resource (CR) specification. As Custom Resources are not encrypted by default in etcd on OpenShift, and the PSK is identical across all clusters in a mesh, its disclosure via kubectl get submariner -o yaml or through must-gather bundles allows an attacker with appropriate permissions to passively decrypt traffic between any two connected clusters.
Mitigation
To mitigate the risk of IPsec pre-shared key (PSK) disclosure, implement strict Kubernetes Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) policies to limit access to Submariner Custom Resources. Ensure that only authorized administrators and systems are granted permissions to view `submariner` Custom Resources within their namespaces. Additionally, exercise caution when collecting and storing diagnostic data, such as must-gather bundles, and when managing GitOps repositories, as these may inadvertently expose the cleartext PSK.
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 | 6.5 | N/A | 6.5 |
| 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 | None | N/A | None |
| 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:N/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Application Data
An attacker with access to the system could read sensitive information stored in cleartext (i.e., unencrypted). Even if the information is encoded in a way that is not human-readable, certain techniques could determine which encoding is being used, then decode the information.
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