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Multicluster Engine EUVDEUVD-2026-58132

| CVE-2026-73266 HIGH
Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy') (CWE-441)
2026-08-13 redhat GHSA-xp42-v53j-r9gh
7.1
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: redhat
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Authenticate as low-privilege tenant
  2. Delivery
    Enumerate foreign ManagedClusterSet names
  3. Exploit
    Craft ClusterClaim with forged membership labels
  4. Execution
    Submit malicious ClusterClaim via Kubernetes API
  5. Persist
    clusterclaims-controller assigns cluster to foreign ManagedClusterSet
  6. Impact
    Inject policies and workloads into victim tenant's cluster

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V4 - API and Web Service Proxy/intermediary controls
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires an authenticated tenant account on a Red Hat Multicluster Engine hub (PR:L from CVSS vector) - unauthenticated exploitation is not possible. The deployment must be configured in a multi-tenant model with at least two distinct ManagedClusterSets belonging to different tenants; single-tenant MCE deployments have no foreign ManagedClusterSet to pivot into, making exploitation impact negligible in that configuration. The attacker must know or enumerate the name of a target ManagedClusterSet belonging to another tenant, which contributes to the AC:H rating. The clusterclaims-controller must be active and processing ClusterClaim resources, which is a default component behavior. No user interaction from a privileged user is required (UI:N). Exploitation is limited to tenants who have write access to ClusterClaim resources within their own namespace.

Impact

The CVSS 7.1 score is supported by a vector of AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N, which appropriately reflects the scope change (S:C) as the vulnerability crosses tenant isolation boundaries to affect clusters owned by other parties. The AC:H rating is significant: exploitation is not straightforward and likely requires an attacker to understand the specific label schema used by the clusterclaims-controller and have a target ManagedClusterSet identifier - conditions that reduce opportunistic exploitation risk. PR:L confirms a valid tenant credential is required, ruling out unauthenticated attack paths. No EPSS data was provided in the source intelligence, and the vulnerability does not appear in the CISA KEV catalog, indicating no confirmed active exploitation at time of analysis. The real-world risk is highest in shared, multi-tenant MCE deployments - enterprise environments operating multiple business units or customers on a single MCE hub - where the ability to inject policies and workloads into a foreign cluster constitutes a meaningful privilege escalation and potential data exfiltration path. Single-tenant MCE deployments face substantially reduced risk since there are no foreign ManagedClusterSets to pivot into. The high confidentiality impact (C:H) is consistent with the ability to access cluster configuration, secrets, and workloads belonging to another tenant once cluster membership is hijacked.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An authenticated tenant on a shared MCE hub crafts a ClusterClaim resource with labels forged to reference a ManagedClusterSet owned by a separate tenant, then submits it via the standard Kubernetes API. The clusterclaims-controller, acting as a privileged intermediary, processes the label change and moves the targeted cluster into the foreign ManagedClusterSet without validating ownership boundaries. The attacker's tenant can then propagate policies or workloads into that cluster, potentially exfiltrating secrets or disrupting the legitimate tenant's operations. No public proof-of-concept code has been identified, but the attack concept is straightforward for any tenant familiar with MCE's ClusterClaim label schema.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 13, 2026

Unauthorized cross-tenant cluster takeover in Red Hat Multicluster Engine (MCE) for Kubernetes allows an authenticated tenant to force a managed cluster into another tenant's ManagedClusterSet by manipulating ClusterClaim labels. The clusterclaims-controller processes these label changes without enforcing tenant ownership boundaries, enabling the attacker to then inject policies and workloads into clusters they do not own. No public exploit code or CISA KEV listing has been identified at time of analysis, but the scope-changing nature (S:C) and high confidentiality impact make this a serious multi-tenancy isolation failure.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is to apply the patch released by Red Hat for the clusterclaims-controller component; consult the official advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-73266 for the specific fixed MCE version, as no exact patch version was confirmed in the available intelligence. Until a patch is applied, compensating controls for multi-tenant deployments include restricting ClusterClaim label write permissions via Kubernetes RBAC to prevent tenants from setting labels that reference ManagedClusterSet membership, though this may interfere with legitimate ClusterClaim workflows and should be tested carefully. Additionally, auditing existing ClusterClaim resources for unexpected ManagedClusterSet label values can help detect exploitation attempts in progress. Operators should review ManagedClusterSet membership changes in audit logs for anomalous cross-tenant assignments as a detection measure.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

Multicluster Engine for Kubernetes (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:multicluster_engine_for_kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is Red Hat's hub-and-spoke multi-cluster lifecycle management plane, built on the Open Cluster Management (OCM) project. Tenants interact with it via Kubernetes custom resources including ClusterClaims, which are used to request and assert properties of managed clusters. The clusterclaims-controller reconciles these resources and governs ManagedClusterSet membership. CWE-441 (Unintended Proxy or Intermediary, also known as the 'Confused Deputy' problem) describes the root cause: the controller acts on behalf of tenants without properly verifying that the requested ManagedClusterSet target is within the requesting tenant's authorization boundary. By crafting ClusterClaim labels that reference a foreign ManagedClusterSet, the tenant abuses the controller's privileged position to perform an action the tenant itself is not authorized to perform directly.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
vuln.today AI 7.1 HIGH

Network vector confirmed by API submission path; AC:H reflects need to enumerate foreign ManagedClusterSet names; PR:L requires valid tenant credential; S:C and C:H reflect cross-tenant cluster takeover with access to victim workloads.

3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
4.0 AV:N/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N
Red Hat 7.1 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw was found in the clusterclaims-controller component of Multicluster Engine (MCE). An authenticated tenant can exploit this vulnerability by manipulating ClusterClaim labels. This allows the tenant to force a cluster to join a ManagedClusterSet belonging to another tenant. Such unauthorized access could enable the injection of policies and workloads into other tenants' clusters.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Red Hat Multicluster Engine (MCE) for Kubernetes contains an authentication isolation flaw that collapses tenant boundaries, allowing any authenticated user in one tenant to commandeer clusters assigned to another tenant and deploy hostile workloads. Organizations running MCE with multi-tenant architecture face immediate risk of involuntary cluster ownership transfer, data exfiltration, and operational disruption across business unit boundaries. Without the unavailable vendor patch, rapid emergency controls are required to prevent cross-tenant cluster hijacking.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: (1) Implement RBAC policies restricting service accounts from modifying ClusterClaim labels on clusters outside their assigned tenant; (2) Deploy network policies isolating cluster communication between tenant environments; (3) Enable audit logging for all ClusterClaim resource modifications with alerting for cross-tenant label changes; (4) Restrict cluster registration and management operations to minimal trusted administrator set; (5) Consider temporary network segmentation to separate high-value tenant MCE instances.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 94% exploitable
Prevalence
Low
specialized enterprise Kubernetes multi-cluster management product
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
Very High

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

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Vendor StatusVendor

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