Auth bypass in Kyverno
CVE-2026-122304
Kyverno from 1.17.0 before 1.19.2 contains an authorization bypass vulnerability that allows namespace admins to escape namespace confinement because the cleanup controller builds its context loader with a nil policy. Attackers can create a namespaced CleanupPolicy with apiCall or globalReference context entries to read cross-namespace Secrets and modify validatingwebhookconfigurations using the cleanup controller's ServiceAccount.
Vulnerability class: Broken Access Control
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 9.9 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.004 (33.6th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 34th percentile — 33.6% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
The 30-day trend appears once there are two daily scores.
Affected products
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-p58h-r4j3-h5vx (vendor-advisory)
- github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-rcxg-3f92-3mgr (vendor-advisory)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/kyverno-1.17.0-before-1.19.2-privilege-escalation-… (third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-122304?
- CVE-2026-122304 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Kyverno, classified under Incorrect Authorization. CVSS score: 9.9/10. Published 2026-11-05.
- How severe is CVE-2026-122304?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.9 out of 10.