CVE-2026-7163
Redhat Multicluster Engine For Kubernetes 2.1 … 2.7
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2026-7163 is a medium-severity Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information (CWE-312) vulnerability in Redhat Multicluster Engine For Kubernetes. Its CVSS base score is 6.1 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Credentials In Files (T1552.001); ranked at the 9th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-28 (Protection of Information at Rest) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-26374
Vulnerability Data
A vulnerability in the assisted-service REST API, an optional Assisted Installer (assisted-service) component in the Multicluster Engine (MCE), allows an authenticated user with minimal namespace-scoped privileges to obtain administrative credentials for arbitrary clusters provisioned through the hub. The credentials download…
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endpoint (GET /v2/clusters/{cluster_id}/credentials, which returns the kubeadmin password) and the kubeconfig download endpoint are operational in AUTH_TYPE=local mode, the only authentication mode available in on-premises ACM/MCE hub deployments. The local authenticator unconditionally grants full administrative access to any request bearing a valid JWT, with no per-endpoint restrictions. A valid local JWT is embedded as a plaintext query parameter in InfraEnvStatus.ISODownloadURL and is readable by any user who has get rights on an InfraEnv object in their own namespace. The affected components ship as part of Multicluster Engine (MCE). The Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management (ACM) deployments that include MCE are equally affected. This issue does not affect the hosted SaaS offering (console.redhat.com), which uses a different authentication mode. Successful exploitation gives the attacker the kubeadmin password and kubeconfig for any OpenShift cluster provisioned through the affected hub, granting unrestricted root-level administrative access to those spoke clusters.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 4 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
V14.2.8
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
SC-28 requires cryptographic or equivalent protection of sensitive data at rest, directly stopping cleartext storage in accessible resources.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Encryption and cryptographic controls for data-at-rest directly prevent cleartext storage of sensitive information.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Requiring non-standard deletion or physical destruction of media ensures that sensitive information is not left in cleartext on discarded or repurposed equipment.
Secure deletion of data before device transfer prevents residual sensitive information from remaining in cleartext on storage media that leave organizational control.
Secure deletion of obsolete or temporary copies prevents sensitive data from remaining in cleartext on disk after its intended lifetime.
Substituting real values with hashes or encrypted tokens before storage reduces the quantity of cleartext sensitive information that ends up persisted on disk.
When clear-text sensitive data is detected leaving controlled storage, the control can block the transfer, thereby limiting the exposure that would result from unencrypted storage on external media or cloud services.
By insisting that any retained test copies be stored securely and only for testing, the control reduces the likelihood that clear-text operational data will persist on disk or in backups.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248525 All OL 8 local disk partitions must implement cryptographic mechanisms to prevent unauthorized disclosure or modification of all information that requires at-rest protection. prevents CWE-312
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
- V-271756 OL 9 local disk partitions must implement cryptographic mechanisms to prevent unauthorized disclosure or modification of all information that requires at rest protection. prevents CWE-312
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-230224 All RHEL 8 local disk partitions must implement cryptographic mechanisms to prevent unauthorized disclosure or modification of all information that requires at rest protection. prevents CWE-312