CVE-2026-71470
Received Received - Intake

Privilege Escalation in Search-v2-Operator via CR Manipulation

Publication date: 2026-08-19

Last updated on: 2026-08-19

Assigner: redhat-SADP

Description
A flaw was found in the search-v2-operator. This vulnerability allows a privileged user, specifically a Custom Resource (CR) editor, to manipulate Search CR fields such as imageOverride, arguments, and environment variables without proper validation. By exploiting this, an attacker can mount arbitrary secrets into a search container's environment or replace the container image with an attacker-controlled one. This leads to privilege escalation and can result in a full cluster compromise due to the ServiceAccount's extensive impersonation permissions.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-19
Last Modified
2026-08-19
Generated
2026-08-19
AI Q&A
2026-08-19
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-71470
EUVD
EUVD-2026-62590

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
red_hat advanced_cluster_management_for_kubernetes *-*
red_hat search_v2_operator *-*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-913 The product does not properly restrict reading from or writing to dynamically-managed code resources such as variables, objects, classes, attributes, functions, or executable instructions or statements.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects the search-v2-operator in Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes. A privileged user with Custom Resource (CR) edit permissions can manipulate fields like imageOverride, arguments, and environment variables without validation. This allows mounting arbitrary secrets into the search container or replacing the container image with a malicious one, leading to privilege escalation and potential full cluster compromise due to the ServiceAccount's extensive impersonation permissions.

Detection Guidance

Check for unauthorized modifications to Search Custom Resources (CRs) in your cluster. Inspect pods for unexpected image overrides or environment variables. Use commands like kubectl get search -A to list Search CRs and kubectl describe pod <pod-name> to review pod specifications for suspicious changes.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, an attacker could gain elevated privileges and take control of the cluster. They could access sensitive data, disrupt operations, or use the compromised environment to launch further attacks. The impact depends on the permissions of the ServiceAccount used by the search container.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating compliance requirements such as GDPR or HIPAA. Unauthorized data exposure or modification may result in legal penalties, reputational damage, and loss of trust. Organizations must mitigate this risk to maintain regulatory compliance.

Mitigation Strategies

Restrict permissions for creating and modifying Search CRs to trusted users only. Implement Kubernetes RBAC policies to limit operations on search.search.open-cluster-management.io resources. Ensure no allow-lists or registry pinning is bypassed and enforce digest checks for container images.

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