CVE-2026-7163: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Red Hat multicluster engine for Kubernetes 2.10
A vulnerability in the assisted-service REST API, an optional Assisted Installer (assisted-service) component in the Multicluster Engine (MCE), allows an authenticated user with minimal namespace-scoped privileges to obtain administrative credentials for arbitrary clusters provisioned through the hub. The credentials download endpoint (GET /v2/clusters/{cluster_id}/credentials, which returns the kubeadmin password) and the kubeconfig download endpoint are operational in AUTH_TYPE=local mode, the only authentication mode available in on-premises ACM/MCE hub deployments. The local authenticator unconditionally grants full administrative access to any request bearing a valid JWT, with no per-endpoint restrictions. A valid local JWT is embedded as a plaintext query parameter in InfraEnvStatus.ISODownloadURL and is readable by any user who has get rights on an InfraEnv object in their own namespace. The affected components ship as part of Multicluster Engine (MCE). The Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management (ACM) deployments that include MCE are equally affected. This issue does not affect the hosted SaaS offering (console.redhat.com), which uses a different authentication mode. Successful exploitation gives the attacker the kubeadmin password and kubeconfig for any OpenShift cluster provisioned through the affected hub, granting unrestricted root-level administrative access to those spoke clusters.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability exists in the assisted-service REST API of the Multicluster Engine (MCE) for Kubernetes 2.10, where the credentials download endpoint and kubeconfig download endpoint are accessible in AUTH_TYPE=local mode. This mode unconditionally grants full administrative access to any request bearing a valid JWT token, which is embedded as a plaintext query parameter in InfraEnvStatus.ISODownloadURL. Users with minimal namespace-scoped privileges who can read InfraEnv objects can extract this JWT and use it to retrieve kubeadmin passwords and kubeconfigs for arbitrary clusters provisioned via the hub. This results in unrestricted root-level administrative access to those clusters. The issue affects on-premises ACM/MCE hub deployments but not the hosted SaaS offering (console.redhat.com).
Potential Impact
An attacker with minimal namespace-scoped privileges can obtain the kubeadmin password and kubeconfig for any OpenShift cluster provisioned through the affected hub. This grants the attacker unrestricted root-level administrative access to those clusters, potentially compromising cluster integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability does not impact availability and is limited to on-premises deployments using AUTH_TYPE=local mode.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. The Red Hat advisories referenced do not list a fix for this vulnerability as of the latest update. Users should monitor Red Hat security advisories for patches or updates addressing CVE-2026-7163. In the meantime, consider restricting access to InfraEnv objects and reviewing namespace-scoped privileges to limit exposure. Note that the hosted SaaS offering is not affected due to different authentication mechanisms.
CVE-2026-7163: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in Red Hat multicluster engine for Kubernetes 2.10
Description
A vulnerability in the assisted-service REST API, an optional Assisted Installer (assisted-service) component in the Multicluster Engine (MCE), allows an authenticated user with minimal namespace-scoped privileges to obtain administrative credentials for arbitrary clusters provisioned through the hub. The credentials download endpoint (GET /v2/clusters/{cluster_id}/credentials, which returns the kubeadmin password) and the kubeconfig download endpoint are operational in AUTH_TYPE=local mode, the only authentication mode available in on-premises ACM/MCE hub deployments. The local authenticator unconditionally grants full administrative access to any request bearing a valid JWT, with no per-endpoint restrictions. A valid local JWT is embedded as a plaintext query parameter in InfraEnvStatus.ISODownloadURL and is readable by any user who has get rights on an InfraEnv object in their own namespace. The affected components ship as part of Multicluster Engine (MCE). The Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management (ACM) deployments that include MCE are equally affected. This issue does not affect the hosted SaaS offering (console.redhat.com), which uses a different authentication mode. Successful exploitation gives the attacker the kubeadmin password and kubeconfig for any OpenShift cluster provisioned through the affected hub, granting unrestricted root-level administrative access to those spoke clusters.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.1medium
Affected software
pkg:rpm/redhat/multicluster-engineRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability exists in the assisted-service REST API of the Multicluster Engine (MCE) for Kubernetes 2.10, where the credentials download endpoint and kubeconfig download endpoint are accessible in AUTH_TYPE=local mode. This mode unconditionally grants full administrative access to any request bearing a valid JWT token, which is embedded as a plaintext query parameter in InfraEnvStatus.ISODownloadURL. Users with minimal namespace-scoped privileges who can read InfraEnv objects can extract this JWT and use it to retrieve kubeadmin passwords and kubeconfigs for arbitrary clusters provisioned via the hub. This results in unrestricted root-level administrative access to those clusters. The issue affects on-premises ACM/MCE hub deployments but not the hosted SaaS offering (console.redhat.com).
Potential Impact
An attacker with minimal namespace-scoped privileges can obtain the kubeadmin password and kubeconfig for any OpenShift cluster provisioned through the affected hub. This grants the attacker unrestricted root-level administrative access to those clusters, potentially compromising cluster integrity and confidentiality. The vulnerability does not impact availability and is limited to on-premises deployments using AUTH_TYPE=local mode.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. The Red Hat advisories referenced do not list a fix for this vulnerability as of the latest update. Users should monitor Red Hat security advisories for patches or updates addressing CVE-2026-7163. In the meantime, consider restricting access to InfraEnv objects and reviewing namespace-scoped privileges to limit exposure. Note that the hosted SaaS offering is not affected due to different authentication mechanisms.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-27T04:21:23.911Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-7163","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 69f365d8cbff5d8610ec502b
Added to database: 04/30/2026, 14:23:20 UTC
Last enriched: 07/30/2026, 21:59:06 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 20:37:52 UTC
Views: 115
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