CVE-2026-66793: Improper Input Validation in Red Hat Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.11
Description
CVE-2026-66793 is a high-severity vulnerability in Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.11. It involves improper input validation in the governance-policy-addon-controller component, allowing a user with permissions to annotate the ManagedClusterAddOn resource to override the governance-policy container image. This flaw enables an attacker to run a controlled container image with cluster-admin privileges on the managed cluster, leading to arbitrary code execution and privilege escalation. Red Hat has issued security advisories and updated container images addressing this and other vulnerabilities in versions 2.11.11 and 2.17.1. Users are advised to apply these updates following Red Hat's guidance.
CVSS v3.1
Score 8.8high
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability CVE-2026-66793 affects the governance-policy-addon-controller component of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.11. It allows a user with annotation permissions on the ManagedClusterAddOn resource to override the governance-policy container image. This improper input validation flaw can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with cluster-admin privileges on the managed Kubernetes cluster, resulting in privilege escalation. Red Hat has released security advisories (RHSA-2026:60386 and RHSA-2026:60387) that include updated container images and fixes for this issue as part of security updates in versions 2.17.1 and 2.11.11. The advisories recommend applying these updates after ensuring all previous errata are applied.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows an attacker with limited permissions (ability to annotate the ManagedClusterAddOn resource) to escalate privileges to cluster-admin level on the managed Kubernetes cluster. This leads to arbitrary code execution with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the cluster environment.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released updated container images and security advisories addressing this vulnerability in Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes versions 2.11.11 and 2.17.1. Users should apply these updates promptly, ensuring all previously released relevant errata are also applied. Detailed update instructions are available in Red Hat's official documentation. No indication of workaround or temporary fixes is provided; applying the official update is the recommended remediation.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- GHSA-xh6j-xcjj-j38g
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.4.0
- Aliases
- ["CVE-2026-66793"]
- Database Specific Severity
- HIGH
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Patch Information
Threat ID: 6a9053feacd9273b49696e2c
Added to database: 08/27/2026, 15:13:02 UTC
Last enriched: 09/08/2026, 15:22:19 UTC
Last updated: 10/10/2026, 18:48:21 UTC
Views: 47
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