Strimzi: Cross-namespace privilege escalation via `Kafka.spec.entityOperator`
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Adjacent network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Privilege escalation
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 fixed, 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-269.
Summary
Strimzi provides a way to run an Apache Kafka cluster on Kubernetes or OpenShift in various deployment configurations. In Strimzi 1.0.0 and earlier, an attacker who can create a Kafka custom resource can set Kafka.spec.entityOperator watchedNamespace to a target namespace, causing the Cluster Operator to create a Role with full Secret CRUD permissions there and bind it to the Entity Operator ServiceAccount in the attacker's namespace. The attacker can mint a token for that ServiceAccount and read or write Secrets in any target namespace where the Cluster Operator has been granted permissions, regardless of STRIMZI_NAMESPACE. This issue is fixed in versions 1.0.1 and 1.1.0.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| backstage | strimzi-kafka-operator | before 1.0.1 | 1.0.1 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | io.strimzi:strimzi (Maven) | before 1.0.1 | 1.0.1 | Patch available | GHSA-mw9r-p8xp-wx96 |
- strimzi-kafka-operator Vendorbackstage Affected before 1.0.1 Fixed in 1.0.1 Patch available CNA
- io.strimzi:strimzi (Maven) Vendor— Affected before 1.0.1 Fixed in 1.0.1 Patch available GHSA-mw9r-p8xp-wx96
Remediation
- Fix · CNA strimzi-kafka-operator (strimzi) Fixed in 1.0.1
- Fix · GHSA-mw9r-p8xp-wx96 io.strimzi:strimzi (Maven) Fixed in 1.0.1 Advisory →
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2026:54435 Released 2026-08-12 · Red Hat rating ImportantStreams for Apache Kafka 3.2.1 release and security update
- Streams for Apache Kafka 3.2.1
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| streams for Apache Kafka 2 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Streams for Apache Kafka 3.2.1 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:54435 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-55225
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mw9r-p8xp-wx96
References
Other 7
- https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/security/advisories/GHSA-mw9r-p8xp-wx96
- https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/pull/12844
- https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/commit/b3bfeffcc30754c3e62e6f4afd8a76942cac440d
- https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/commit/f6c5207ba7ec89b46ce6720b8638d647e556a261
- https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/releases/tag/1.0.1
- https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/releases/tag/1.1.0
- https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator
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Sources
- CVE-2026-55225 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-55225 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mw9r-p8xp-wx96 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-55225 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences