Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessCompromise pod or obtain node access
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DeliveryIdentify vulnerable AKS path handler
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ExploitSubmit crafted traversal payload
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ExecutionEscape container or namespace boundary
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PersistExecute code on host or control plane
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ImpactPivot to other tenants or cluster secrets
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to already hold low-level authorized access (PR:L) on the local system - in AKS terms, this typically means code execution inside a pod, a workload identity, or shell access on a node - and to be able to reach the vulnerable AKS component that processes attacker-controlled filesystem paths. The attack vector is local (AV:L), so it cannot be triggered directly from the public internet without first obtaining a foothold in the cluster, and no user interaction is required (UI:N). Limiting factors include the need for valid in-cluster credentials or container execution, the AV:L constraint that rules out direct internet exploitation, and the fact that AKS-managed components may already be patched on clusters using auto-upgrade channels; the description does not name a specific feature flag or non-default configuration, so the condition should be treated as 'any AKS cluster running an unpatched version where an attacker can obtain low-privileged local execution'. |
| Impact | The CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates that exploitation requires local access with low privileges but no user interaction, and crucially carries a Scope:Changed designation - meaning a successful attack crosses a security boundary (e.g., container-to-host or tenant-to-control-plane), justifying the elevated 8.8 score despite the local attack vector. EPSS data was not provided in the input, KEV status is not listed, and no POC has been published in the available references, so this should currently be treated as a high-impact but not-yet-weaponized issue. The single MSRC reference and the secure@microsoft.com reporter strongly suggest vendor-coordinated disclosure with a fix already shipped through Azure's managed service pipeline; however, because AKS is a hosted service, much of the remediation may be applied transparently by Microsoft, which limits real-world attacker windows compared to on-premises Kubernetes distributions. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has obtained low-privileged local access on an AKS node or inside a tenant pod - for example, via a compromised application container or stolen workload credentials - sends a crafted request containing traversal sequences to a vulnerable AKS component that handles file paths, causing it to read, write, or execute files outside the intended sandbox. Because the CVSS scope is Changed, this allows the attacker to break out of the container or namespace boundary and execute code in the context of the host node or another tenant, achieving full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, so this scenario is constructed from the CVSS vector and CWE-22 mechanics rather than an observed proof-of-concept. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jun 09, 2026
Local privilege escalation and code execution in Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is possible via a path traversal flaw (CWE-22) that allows an authorized attacker on the local system to break out of restricted directory boundaries and execute code with elevated privileges. The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 reflects the scope change (S:C) where exploitation impacts resources beyond the vulnerable component, enabling full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise. No public exploit identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Patch status per available data: patch available per vendor advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-32193, with no exact fix version disclosed in the provided references. Because AKS is a managed service, customers should verify their cluster's Kubernetes version and node image version against the MSRC guidance and trigger a node image upgrade (az aks nodepool upgrade --node-image-only) and, if required, a control-plane upgrade (az aks upgrade) to pull in the fixed components; node auto-upgrade channels (NodeImage or SecurityPatch) will apply this automatically over time but should be accelerated for exposed clusters. As compensating controls until upgrade, restrict who can obtain local execution on nodes by enforcing strict RBAC on 'pods/exec' and 'nodes/proxy', disable hostPath volume mounts via Azure Policy or admission controllers (trade-off: breaks legacy workloads that rely on host filesystem access), enable Pod Security Admission at the 'restricted' level on tenant namespaces (trade-off: rejects privileged or root-running pods), and audit kubelet and container runtime logs for unexpected path traversal patterns.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in microsoft
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability resides in Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Microsoft's managed Kubernetes orchestration offering that runs containerized workloads on Azure infrastructure. The root cause is CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory, commonly called 'path traversal'), where input used to construct a filesystem path is not properly sanitized against sequences like '../' or absolute path references, allowing access to files or directories outside the intended sandbox. In a Kubernetes context, such flaws typically manifest in container runtime components, kubelet APIs, volume mount handling, or admission/CSI drivers - and when chained with the local execution vector observed here, can permit a tenant or node-local actor to escape into host or control-plane resources.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Primary rating from Vendor (microsoft).
CVSS VectorVendor: microsoft
DescriptionCVE.org
Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory ('path traversal') in Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service allows an authorized attacker to execute code locally.
Executive ViewAI
Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters are vulnerable to a privilege escalation attack (CVE-2026-32193, CVSS 8.8) that could allow attackers to gain elevated system access and compromise containerized applications and sensitive data. Without a vendor patch, organizations face immediate risk to production Kubernetes environments and their container workloads. Implementing defensive mitigations is essential to prevent unauthorized access to critical infrastructure.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: (1) Enforce Azure Pod Security Standards to restrict container privilege escalation capabilities; (2) Implement least-privilege service accounts and role-based access control; (3) Deploy container runtime security and threat detection tools to detect exploitation attempts; (4) Apply Azure Network Policies to isolate and segment AKS clusters; (5) Restrict direct local access to AKS nodes to essential operations personnel only; (6) Enable Azure Policy for AKS to enforce security baselines and audit configurations.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
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EUVD-2026-35504
GHSA-3rwf-9748-8cvv
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB