PatchSiren

PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2026-62290 cert-manager CVE debrief

The CVE-2026-62290 vulnerability affects cert-manager, a tool that adds certificates and certificate issuers as resource types in Kubernetes clusters. The vulnerability allows namespace users to create Challenge resources without admission validation, potentially leading to the misuse of ClusterIssuer DNS credentials. This issue has a high CVSS score of 7.3 and is classified as HIGH severity. Users of cert-manager versions 1.18.0 through 1.19.5 and 1.20.0 through 1.20.2 should review their deployments for potential exposure.

Vendor
cert-manager
Product
Unknown
CVSS
HIGH 7.3
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-07-16
Original CVE updated
2026-07-30
Advisory published
2026-07-16
Advisory updated
2026-07-30

Who should care

Users of cert-manager versions 1.18.0 through 1.19.5 and 1.20.0 through 1.20.2 should review their deployments for potential exposure. This includes operators, platform administrators, vulnerability management teams, and security teams who need to assess the impact of this vulnerability on their environments.

Technical summary

The cert-manager vulnerability allows namespace users to create Challenge resources without admission validation, potentially leading to the misuse of ClusterIssuer DNS credentials. This issue affects cert-manager versions 1.18.0 through 1.19.5 and 1.20.0 through 1.20.2. The vulnerability has a high CVSS score of 7.3 and is classified as HIGH severity. The issue can be fixed by applying patches for cert-manager versions 1.19.6 and 1.20.3.

Defensive priority

High priority for cert-manager users to apply patches or mitigations.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Review and apply patches for cert-manager versions 1.19.6 and 1.20.3.
  • Restrict Challenge resource creation to authorized users.
  • Monitor for suspicious Challenge resource creations.
  • Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified.
  • Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review.
  • Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented.
  • Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up.

Evidence notes

The evidence for this CVE is based on official CVE and NVD records, as well as source references from GitHub. The vulnerability affects cert-manager versions 1.18.0 through 1.19.5 and 1.20.0 through 1.20.2. The issue allows namespace users to create Challenge resources without admission validation, potentially leading to the misuse of ClusterIssuer DNS credentials. Defenders should verify their deployments for potential exposure and review the official advisory for affected scope, severity, and vendor guidance.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2026-62290 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-62290

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2026-62290 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-62290

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.