Cyber Resilience

CVE-2024-45041

High

Published: 09 September 2024

Published
09 September 2024
Modified
18 September 2024
KEV Added
Patch
CVSS Score v3.1 8.3 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0040 61.2th percentile
Risk Priority 17 60% EPSS · 20% KEV · 20% CVSS

Summary

CVE-2024-45041 is a high-severity Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269) vulnerability in External-Secrets External Secrets Operator. Its CVSS base score is 8.3 (High).

Operationally, ranked in the top 38.8% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

External Secrets Operator is a Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems. The external-secrets has a deployment called default-external-secrets-cert-controller, which is bound with a same-name ClusterRole. This ClusterRole has "get/list" verbs of secrets resources. It also has path/update verb…

more

of validatingwebhookconfigurations resources. This can be used to abuse the SA token of the deployment to retrieve or get ALL secrets in the whole cluster, capture and log all data from requests attempting to update Secrets, or make a webhook deny all Pod create and update requests. This vulnerability is fixed in 0.10.2.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.

Affected Assets

external-secrets
external secrets operator
≤ 0.10.2

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-269 CWE-732

Policy addresses roles, responsibilities, and privilege management to prevent improper privilege assignments.

addresses: CWE-269 CWE-732

Implements core proper privilege management by restricting to only required rights.

addresses: CWE-269 CWE-732

Policy requires training on privilege management and least privilege, making it harder to exploit improper privilege management weaknesses.

addresses: CWE-269 CWE-732

Training covers proper privilege management practices, making incorrect privilege assignments less likely.

addresses: CWE-269 CWE-732

The control mandates review of privilege assignments to ensure they are appropriate and minimal.

addresses: CWE-269 CWE-732

Baseline configuration documents and controls privilege assignments, making improper privilege management harder to introduce or sustain.

addresses: CWE-269 CWE-732

Manages privileges for change control activities and provides oversight to prevent improper privilege use in configuration updates.

addresses: CWE-269 CWE-732

Reviewing changes for security impacts prevents introduction of improper privilege assignments or escalations.

References