CVE-2025-71426
Received Received - Intake

Contrast Kubernetes Runtime Seed Validation Bypass

Publication date: 2026-09-27

Last updated on: 2026-09-27

Assigner: VulnCheck

Description
Contrast is a confidential-computing runtime for Kubernetes. In versions before 1.4.1, a recovering Coordinator does not verify the seed supplied by the recovering party. An attacker can therefore stand up a rogue Coordinator whose manifest passes validation but whose secret seed is attacker-controlled. If network traffic is redirected from the legitimate Coordinator to the attacker's Coordinator, a workload owner can be impersonated when they either set a new manifest without comparing the returned root CA certificate against the existing one (the default behavior of the contrast CLI) or verify the Coordinator without comparing the root CA certificate against a trusted reference. Under these conditions the attacker can issue certificates that chain back to the rogue Coordinator's root CA and recover arbitrary workload secrets of workloads deployed after the attack. Secrets of the legitimate Coordinator (seed, workload secrets, CA), workload integrity, and certificates chaining to the mesh CA are not affected.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-27
Last Modified
2026-09-27
Generated
2026-09-27
AI Q&A
2026-09-27
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2025-71426
EUVD
EUVD-2025-211006

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 2 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
contrast contrast to 1.4.1 (exc)
edgelesssys contrast to 1.4.1 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-285 The product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects Contrast, a confidential-computing runtime for Kubernetes. In versions before 1.4.1, a recovering Coordinator does not verify the seed provided by the recovering party. An attacker can set up a rogue Coordinator with a manipulated manifest and controlled secret seed. If network traffic is redirected to the attacker's Coordinator, a workload owner may be tricked into accepting it, leading to impersonation and potential recovery of arbitrary workload secrets deployed after the attack.

Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires checking if your Contrast Coordinator version is below 1.4.1. Use commands like 'contrast version' or inspect deployment manifests for version details. Monitor network traffic for redirection attempts to unauthorized coordinators.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could impersonate a workload owner and recover arbitrary secrets of workloads deployed after the attack. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or system resources. The legitimate Coordinator's secrets and workload integrity remain unaffected.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, potentially violating confidentiality requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. Organizations using affected versions of Contrast may face compliance risks due to potential data breaches.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Contrast to version 1.4.1 or later immediately. Verify the Coordinator's root CA certificate against a trusted reference before accepting any new manifest. Ensure network traffic is not redirected to unauthorized coordinators.

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