CVE-2026-16745

Awaiting Analysis Awaiting Analysis - Queue

Authentication Bypass in Red Hat OpenShift AI

Publication date: 2026-07-23

Last updated on: 2026-08-11

Assigner: Red Hat, Inc.

Description

A flaw was found in odh-dashboard, the web console component of Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI). Due to incorrect network binding, a malicious actor within the cluster can bypass authentication and impersonate any user by providing an arbitrary access token. This allows an attacker to gain unauthorized access to the Kubernetes API, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, or information disclosure.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published

2026-07-23

Last Modified

2026-08-11

Generated

2026-08-12

AI Q&A

2026-07-23

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-11

NVD

CVE-2026-16745

EUVD

EUVD-2026-47972

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
red_hat	open_shift_ai	2.25
red_hat	open_shift_ai	3.3
red_hat	open_shift_ai	3.4
red_hat	open_shift_ai	3.5

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-346	The product does not properly verify that the source of data or communication is valid.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-16745 is a flaw in odh-dashboard, the web console of Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI). Due to incorrect network binding, a malicious actor within the cluster can bypass authentication by providing an arbitrary access token. This exploits the backend's trust in the x-forwarded-access-token header without validating its origin, allowing impersonation of any user and unauthorized access to the Kubernetes API.

Detection Guidance

Check if the odh-dashboard backend is binding to 0.0.0.0:8080 by running: kubectl get pods -n redhat-ods-applications -o yaml | grep -A 5 'ports:' | grep '8080'. If exposed, verify if the x-forwarded-access-token header is being trusted without validation.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to unauthorized access to the Kubernetes API, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or disclose sensitive information. Attackers within the cluster can impersonate users and perform actions as if they were legitimate users with elevated permissions.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating confidentiality requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. It may result in data breaches, non-compliance with access control and audit logging mandates, and potential legal or financial penalties due to compromised protected health or personal information.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade to RHOAI 3.5 or later where the fix is included. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict the odh-dashboard backend to bind only to 127.0.0.1 by modifying the deployment configuration.

Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-16745. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.

0/70