Auth bypass in Cert-Manager
CVE-2026-62290
cert-manager adds certificates and certificate issuers as resource types in Kubernetes clusters, and simplifies the process of obtaining, renewing and using those certificates. From 1.18.0 until 1.19.6 and 1.20.3, Challenge resources under acme.cert-manager.io can be created directly by namespace users without admission validation tying the Challenge to an Order, owner reference, or Issuer-selected solver, allowing attacker-controlled Challenge.spec.solver values referencing a ClusterIssuer to bypass DNS01 solver selectors such as dnsZones, dnsNames, and matchLabels and cause cert-manager to use ClusterIssuer DNS credentials for attacker-selected provider settings and DNS names, including disclosure of X-Api-User and X-Api-Key headers for acme-dns. This issue is fixed in versions 1.19.6 and 1.20.3.
Vulnerability class: Broken Access Control
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.3 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.001 (1.3th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 1st percentile — 1.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.001 · newest: 0.001 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Cert-Manager — versions >= 1.18.0, < 1.19.6, >= 1.20.0, < 1.20.3
- Linuxfoundation Cert-Manager
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/security/advisories/GHSA-8rvj-mm4h-c258 (Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory)
- github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8940 (Patch, Issue Tracking)
- github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8941 (Patch, Issue Tracking)
- github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/commit/6bda47297c8fbc6b121b8b76624b668d26f… (Patch)
- github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/commit/b37dbf01ecea50a0b3a19df0a7fe4c5ad68… (Patch)
- github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/tag/v1.19.6 (Product, Release Notes)
- github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/tag/v1.20.3 (Product, Release Notes)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-62290?
- CVE-2026-62290 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cert-Manager, classified under Incorrect Authorization. CVSS score: 7.3/10. Published 2026-07-16.
- How severe is CVE-2026-62290?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.3 out of 10.