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Kargo has an Authorization Bypass Vulnerability in Batch Resource Creation API Endpoints

Critical severity GitHub Reviewed Published Feb 17, 2026 in akuity/kargo • Updated Feb 19, 2026

Package

gomod github.com/akuity/kargo (Go)

Affected versions

>= 1.9.0-rc.1, < 1.9.3
>= 1.8.0-rc.1, < 1.8.11
>= 1.7.0, < 1.7.8

Patched versions

1.9.3
1.8.11
1.7.8

Description

Summary

The batch resource creation endpoints of both Kargo's legacy gRPC API and newer REST API accept multi-document YAML payloads. When either endpoint creates a Project resource, creation of subsequent resources from that same payload belonging in that Project's underlying Kubernetes namespace, by design, proceeds using the API server's own permissions. The creator of a new Project automatically becomes its administrator, but those permissions are granted asynchronously by the management controller. The design choice to create the affected resources using the API server's own permissions averts a race and is contextually appropriate.

Specially crafted payloads can manifest a bug present in the logic of both endpoints to inject arbitrary resources (of specific types only) into the underlying namespace of an existing Project using the API server's own permissions when that behavior was not intended. Critically, an attacker may exploit this as a vector for elevating their own permissions, which can then be leveraged to achieve remote code execution or secret exfiltration. Exfiltrated artifact repository credentials can be leveraged, in turn, to execute further attacks.

In some configurations of the Kargo control plane's underlying Kubernetes cluster, elevated permissions may additionally be leveraged to achieve remote code execution or secret exfiltration using kubectl. This can reduce the complexity of the attack, however, worst case scenarios remain entirely achievable even without this.

Base Metrics

The following sections provide the rationale for the values selected for each of CVSS v4's base metrics.

Attack Vector (AV): Network

The affected endpoints are served by the Kargo API server over HTTP/HTTPS. No local or physical access is required.

Attack Complexity (AC): Low

Exploitation requires only a specially crafted YAML payload sent to an affected API endpoint.

Attack Requirements (AT): None

No specific environmental conditions are required beyond those that are typical for any Kargo instance.

Privileges Required (PR): Low

The attack relies only on the ability to authenticate to the Kargo API server along with basic permissions that are typically granted to all Kargo users.

User Interaction (UI): None

The attack is fully automated via API calls. No other user needs to take any action.

Confidentiality Impact to Vulnerable System (VC): High

Elevated permissions enable secret exfiltration from any Kargo Project.

Integrity Impact to Vulnerable System (VI): High

Elevated permissions enable tampering, up to and including remote code execution, as well as secret exfiltration from any Kargo Project. Project secrets often include credentials having write permissions to GitOps repositories. Such secrets may enable pushing configurations that impact the integrity of the vulnerable system, including Kargo Projects, Kargo control plane components, and the Kargo control plane's underlying Kubernetes cluster.

Note: Because it is an integral component of Kargo's control plane, the underlying Kubernetes cluster has been counted as a component of the vulnerable system instead of a subsequent system.

Availability Impact to Vulnerable System (VA): High

Elevated permissions enable tampering, up to and including remote code execution, as well as secret exfiltration from any Kargo Project. Project secrets often include credentials having write permissions to GitOps repositories. Such secrets may enable pushing configurations that impact the availability of the vulnerable system, including Kargo control plane components and the Kargo control plane's underlying Kubernetes cluster.

Confidentiality Impact to Subsequent Systems (SC): High

Secrets exfiltrated from Project namespaces typically contain credentials for external systems. These may enable exfiltration of further confidential information from those systems.

Integrity Impact to Subsequent Systems (SI): High

Elevated permissions enable tampering, up to and including remote code execution, as well as secret exfiltration from any Kargo Project. Project secrets often include credentials having write permissions to GitOps repositories. Such secrets may enable pushing configurations that impact the integrity of subsequent systems.

Availability Impact to Subsequent Systems (SA): High

Elevated permissions enable tampering, up to and including remote code execution, as well as secret exfiltration from any Kargo Project. Project secrets often include credentials having write permissions to GitOps repositories. Such secrets may enable pushing configurations that impact the availability of subsequent systems.

Mitigating Factors

  • Exploitation requires authentication to the Kargo API server. Anonymous access is not sufficient.

  • The most severe consequences of this vulnerability depend on a privilege escalation path (via RoleBinding injection) that was not identified by the original reporter, suggesting it is not immediately obvious from the bug alone.

  • There is no evidence of exploitation in the wild.

References

@krancour krancour published to akuity/kargo Feb 17, 2026
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Feb 19, 2026
Reviewed Feb 19, 2026
Last updated Feb 19, 2026

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector Network
Attack Complexity Low
Attack Requirements None
Privileges Required Low
User interaction None
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(47th percentile)

Weaknesses

Incorrect Authorization

The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check. Learn more on MITRE.

CVE ID

CVE-2026-27112

GHSA ID

GHSA-7g9x-cp9g-92mr

Source code

Credits

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