Auth bypass in Envoyproxy Gateway
CVE-2026-53718
Envoy Gateway is an open source project for managing Envoy Proxy as a standalone or Kubernetes-based application gateway. Prior to 1.7.4 and 1.8.1, an HTTPRoute can use an extension-managed custom backendRef to reference a backend resource in another namespace without a matching Gateway API ReferenceGrant in the target namespace. The custom-backend branch in internal/gatewayapi/route.go omits validateBackendNamespace, allowing the route-owning namespace to bind to and use the resource without the backend namespace owner's consent and violating the Gateway API cross-namespace authorization model. This issue is fixed in versions 1.7.4 and 1.8.1.
Vulnerability class: Broken Access Control
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.4 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L.
Affected products
- Envoyproxy Gateway — versions < 1.7.4, >= 1.8.0-rc.0, < 1.8.1
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-53718?
- CVE-2026-53718 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Envoyproxy Gateway, classified under Missing Authorization. CVSS score: 6.4/10. Published 2026-09-14.
- How severe is CVE-2026-53718?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.4 out of 10.