CVE-2026-72648: CWE-526 Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable in Elastic Eck Operator
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable (CWE-526) in Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) can lead to information disclosure via Retrieve Embedded Sensitive Data (CAPEC-37). When ECK reconciles a Fleet Server resource that authenticates to Elasticsearch with a service account token, the token is written into the generated workload specification in cleartext rather than being referenced from the Kubernetes Secret that ECK maintains for the other credentials on the same path. Any principal able to read workload specifications in the affected namespace can therefore read a live Elasticsearch credential, even when Kubernetes RBAC does not grant that principal access to Secrets.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The Elastic ECK Operator version 3.0.0 has a CWE-526 vulnerability involving cleartext storage of sensitive information in an environment variable. Specifically, when reconciling a Fleet Server resource that authenticates to Elasticsearch using a service account token, the token is embedded in cleartext in the workload specification rather than being referenced securely from a Kubernetes Secret. This design flaw allows principals with read access to workload specifications, but without Secrets access, to retrieve live Elasticsearch credentials, leading to potential information disclosure.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows unauthorized disclosure of live Elasticsearch credentials to any principal able to read workload specifications in the affected Kubernetes namespace, even if they lack permissions to access Kubernetes Secrets. This can lead to unauthorized access to Elasticsearch resources, compromising confidentiality. There is no indication of impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, restrict read access to workload specifications in the affected namespaces to trusted principals only. Monitor vendor communications for updates regarding an official fix or workaround.
CVE-2026-72648: CWE-526 Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable in Elastic Eck Operator
Description
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable (CWE-526) in Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) can lead to information disclosure via Retrieve Embedded Sensitive Data (CAPEC-37). When ECK reconciles a Fleet Server resource that authenticates to Elasticsearch with a service account token, the token is written into the generated workload specification in cleartext rather than being referenced from the Kubernetes Secret that ECK maintains for the other credentials on the same path. Any principal able to read workload specifications in the affected namespace can therefore read a live Elasticsearch credential, even when Kubernetes RBAC does not grant that principal access to Secrets.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.5medium
Affected software
pkg:github/elastic/eck-operatorRun 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 Elastic ECK Operator version 3.0.0 has a CWE-526 vulnerability involving cleartext storage of sensitive information in an environment variable. Specifically, when reconciling a Fleet Server resource that authenticates to Elasticsearch using a service account token, the token is embedded in cleartext in the workload specification rather than being referenced securely from a Kubernetes Secret. This design flaw allows principals with read access to workload specifications, but without Secrets access, to retrieve live Elasticsearch credentials, leading to potential information disclosure.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability allows unauthorized disclosure of live Elasticsearch credentials to any principal able to read workload specifications in the affected Kubernetes namespace, even if they lack permissions to access Kubernetes Secrets. This can lead to unauthorized access to Elasticsearch resources, compromising confidentiality. There is no indication of impact on integrity or availability. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, restrict read access to workload specifications in the affected namespaces to trusted principals only. Monitor vendor communications for updates regarding an official fix or workaround.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- elastic
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-10T11:17:38.892Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a7e1a81bf8831d539b182d4
Added to database: 08/13/2026, 19:26:57 UTC
Last enriched: 08/13/2026, 19:58:42 UTC
Last updated: 08/14/2026, 00:27:03 UTC
Views: 4
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