CVE-2026-42876

What it is

External Secrets Operator reads information from a third-party service and automatically injects the values as Kubernetes Secrets. Prior to 2.4.1, a user who only has permission to create ExternalSecret resources can cause the operator to create a Secret that Kubernetes will automatically populate with a long-lived token for the specified service account. This effectively allows the user to impersonate any service account in the namespace without needing direct create permissions on TokenRequest or Secrets of that type. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.4.1.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network with a low-privilege account. Limited direct impact.

Exploit odds

0.2% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2026-05-11 20:25 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-06-17 10:48 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 0.2% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 4.9 MEDIUM (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2026-05-11 20:25 UTC

Last modified

2026-06-17 10:48 UTC

Exploit probability

0.2% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-285

Record status

Deferred

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 4.9

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

High

Privileges needed

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2026-42876.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-42876. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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