CVE-2026-80219
Description
A flaw was found in hawtio-operator. When deploying Hawtio in cluster mode, the operator creates a cluster-scoped OAuthClient with automatic grant approval (GrantMethod: auto) and no client secret (public client). The redirect URIs are derived from the operator-created Route, whose hostname is tenant-controlled via the Hawtio CR spec.routeHostName field. A malicious tenant can register an arbitrary hostname as a valid OAuth redirect target and, because grants are auto-approved, obtain OpenShift access tokens of any cluster user who visits the crafted authorization URL without any consent prompt.
Statement
The impact of this flaw is evaluated to be Important as it might lead to stolen credentials of a high-privileged user. The combination of a public OAuthClient with automatic grant approval and tenant-controlled redirect URIs enables OAuth token theft without user consent. An attacker with edit access in any namespace can craft an authorization URL that redirects tokens to an attacker-controlled host. Red Hat recommends setting GrantMethod to prompt, adding ScopeRestrictions, and generating a client secret.
Mitigation
Administrators can mitigate this issue by manually patching the OAuthClient resource created by the hawtio-operator to set grantMethod to 'prompt' instead of 'auto', and by adding a client secret. This forces explicit user consent for each OAuth authorization request and prevents unauthorized token acquisition. Monitor OpenShift OAuth server audit logs for unexpected authorization grants to the hawtio OAuthClient.
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 | 8.7 | N/A | 8.7 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | Required |
| Scope | Changed | N/A | Changed |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | None | N/A | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
M-2: OAuthClient auto-grant — audit CVSS, to be confirmed at triage
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control
Technical Impact: Read Application Data; Gain Privileges or Assume Identity; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
This weakness can lead to the exposure of resources or functionality to unintended actors, possibly providing attackers with sensitive information or even execute arbitrary code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not sure what something means? Check out our Security Glossary.
Want to get errata notifications? Sign up here.
