A flaw in the AAP Controller's HashiCorp Vault credential plugin (awx_plugins/credentials/hashivault.py) allows an authenticated attacker with credential-creation privileges to exploit the kubernetes_auth() function. This function reads the controller pod's Kubernetes service account token and sends it to an attacker-controlled URL when testing a HashiCorp Vault Secret Lookup credential with kubernetes_role authentication. Exfiltration of this token enables the attacker to access the Kubernetes API for control plane namespaces with full pod create, read, update, delete (CRUD) and secret read permissions, exposing sensitive data including database credentials and the Django SECRET_KEY. The vulnerability impacts both on-premise and AAP Cloud deployments, with higher impact in managed cloud environments due to tenant isolation boundaries. The vulnerable code path exists in all AAP versions shipping the hashivault credential plugin with kubernetes_role support. No official fix or patch is currently confirmed. Red Hat recommends network egress restrictions, RBAC permission tightening, auditing, monitoring, token rotation, and limiting credential creation privileges as mitigations.

An attacker with authenticated access and credential-creation privileges can exfiltrate the Kubernetes service account token from the controller pod. This token provides broad Kubernetes API access to control plane namespaces, allowing full pod management and secret reading capabilities. Sensitive information such as database credentials and the Django SECRET_KEY can be compromised. This can lead to significant confidentiality and integrity impacts within the Kubernetes environment managed by the Ansible Automation Platform. The vulnerability does not impact availability. The impact is more severe in cloud-managed environments where tenant isolation is critical.

No official patch or fix is currently confirmed by Red Hat. Until a fix is available, Red Hat recommends the following mitigations: restrict network egress from controller pods using Kubernetes NetworkPolicy to prevent outbound connections to untrusted destinations and only allow connections to known Vault server endpoints; review and restrict RBAC permissions of the automation-controller service account to follow least privilege principles, removing unnecessary secret read access; audit credential-creation activity for suspicious HashiCorp Vault credentials with external or unusual URLs in AAP Cloud environments; monitor Kubernetes audit logs for unexpected API calls using the automation-controller service account, especially secret reads and pod operations; rotate the automation-controller service account token if unauthorized access is suspected; and consider restricting the 'create credential' privilege to trusted administrators only until a fix is released.