OpenChoreo: cluster-gateway internal proxy performs no caller authentication and is not read-only — data-plane Secret disclosure and arbitrary Kubernetes mutation (CVE-2026-73842)

The OpenChoreo cluster-gateway exposes internal management APIs that proxy requests to connected Kubernetes data planes without authenticating callers. The internal listener accepts mutating HTTP methods and allows reading Secrets in tenant namespaces (excluding kube-system), despite client documentation claiming these APIs are read-only. Any entity with network access to this internal listener can read sensitive Secrets, create, modify, or delete Kubernetes resources, and execute commands inside pods across all connected data planes. This vulnerability is linked to a missing second authorization layer behind a previously known authorization bypass (GHSA-52gf-6rpq-fgmx). Exploitability depends on network isolation of the internal listener; if reachable by untrusted workloads without restrictive NetworkPolicy, the impact is critical. The issue is fixed in OpenChoreo versions 1.0.3, 1.1.3, and 1.2.0.

An attacker with network access to the cluster-gateway internal listener can bypass all caller-level access controls and gain full access to the Kubernetes APIs of all connected data planes. This includes disclosure of Secrets in any tenant namespace (except kube-system), allowing theft of sensitive credentials and keys. The attacker can also create, modify, or delete Kubernetes workloads and execute commands inside pods. This effectively allows full cluster compromise across all connected data planes. The severity is critical if the internal listener is reachable by untrusted workloads without network restrictions; otherwise, it is high.

A fix is available and has been released in OpenChoreo versions 1.0.3, 1.1.3, and 1.2.0. Users should upgrade to one of these versions to remediate the vulnerability. Until upgraded, ensure that the internal listener is not reachable by untrusted workloads by applying strict network isolation and NetworkPolicy controls. Verify that no unauthorized network access to the internal cluster-gateway listener is possible.