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CVE-2026-22822 — Vulnerability in...

CRITICAL

External Secrets Operator insecurely retrieves secrets through the getSecretKey templating function

Published January 20, 2026Updated April 16, 2026Source: osv

Summary

### Summary The `getSecretKey` template function, while introduced for senhasegura Devops Secrets Management (DSM) provider, has the ability to fetch secrets cross-namespaces with the roleBinding of the external-secrets controller, bypassing our security mechanisms. This function was completely removed, as everything done with that templating function can be done in a different way while respecting our safeguards (for example, using `sourceRef` like explained here: https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/issues/5690#issuecomment-3630977865) ### Impact - Cross-namespace secret access: Attackers or misconfigured resources could retrieve secrets from namespaces other than the one intended. - privilege escalation: Unauthorized access to secrets could lead to privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or compromise of service accounts and credentials. ### Resolution We removed the incriminated templating function from our codebase. All users should upgrade to the latest version containing this fix. ### Workarounds Use a policy engine such as Kubernetes, Kyverno, Kubewarden, or OPA to prevent the usage of `getSecretKey` in any ExternalSecret resource. ### Details See also: - https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/issues/5690 - https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/pull/3895

Advisory Timeline

  • First published January 20, 2026 (265 days ago).
  • Last revised April 16, 2026 — 85 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Go
Update github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets to 1.2.0 or later
go get github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets@v1.2.0

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

Affects 1 ecosystem: go (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets
go
All versions1.2.0

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-863
    Incorrect AuthorizationMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 8.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
—
Confidentiality
—
Integrity
—
Availability
—

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-22822?
External Secrets Operator insecurely retrieves secrets through the getSecretKey templating function This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 8.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-22822?
CVE-2026-22822 affects github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-22822 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
8.8

High exploitability or significant impact. Prioritize remediation within days.

Also Known As

GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2
GO-2026-4330

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