CVE-2026-54523

What it is

Kyverno is a policy engine designed for cloud native platform engineering teams. From 1.18.0 until 1.18.2, the NamespacedMutatingPolicy CEL compiler exposes the generator library to matchConditions, allowing a namespace-scoped policy to invoke generator.apply(namespace, resources) with an arbitrary target namespace. The validation in pkg/cel/policies/mpol/validate.go checks that the policy compiles but does not enforce namespace scope, and GenerateResources in pkg/cel/libs/context.go does not reject the cross-namespace target. A user who can create NamespacedMutatingPolicy objects in one namespace can cause the admission controller, operating with cluster-wide privileges, to create ConfigMaps, NetworkPolicies, Secrets, RoleBindings, and other resources in another namespace, enabling unauthorized modification and potential privilege escalation. This issue is fixed in version 1.18.2.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network with a low-privilege account. High risk of data exposure, data tampering.

Exploit odds

0.5% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

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

Timeline

1. 2026-08-26 15:16 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-09-09 21:09 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 0.5% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 9.6 CRITICAL (CVSS).
• Fix: a patch or advisory is linked.

Details

Published

2026-08-26 15:16 UTC

Last modified

2026-09-09 21:09 UTC

Exploit probability

0.5% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-862 · Missing authorization

Record status

Deferred

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 9.6

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

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-2026-54523.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-54523. 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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