CVE-2026-92982 Red Hat CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for Kubernetes and Ansible Operator Plugin configurations, as well as security teams focused on vulnerability management and privilege escalation risks, should assess exposure and potential impact.

Why it matters

A low-privileged Kubernetes user can exploit a Jinja2 template injection vulnerability in Ansible Operator Plugins, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution and privilege escalation. Defenders should prioritize verifying exposure, assessing potential impact, and implementing compensating controls.

• Potential arbitrary code execution within the operator pod.
• Privilege escalation for low-privileged Kubernetes users.
• Cluster-wide permissions could be compromised.
• Verification of affected versions and remediation efforts are required.

Technical summary

The vulnerability allows low-privileged Kubernetes users to inject malicious Jinja2 expressions into custom resource specifications, which are then executed within the operator pod, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution and privilege escalation. This can occur because Ansible processes these values without proper sanitization. Defenders should prioritize verifying exposure and assessing potential impact, focusing on low-privileged Kubernetes users and Ansible Operator Plugin configurations. The vulnerability can lead to cluster-wide permissions being compromised.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying exposure and assessing potential impact, focusing on low-privileged Kubernetes users and Ansible Operator Plugin configurations.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify exposure by checking Ansible Operator Plugin configurations and low-privileged Kubernetes user accounts.
• Assess potential impact by evaluating cluster-wide permissions and service account controls.
• Implement compensating controls, such as restricting access to custom resource specifications.
• Review the supplied official advisory or CVE record to validate affected scope, severity, and vendor guidance.
• Plan vendor-supported updates or mitigations through normal change control where exposure is confirmed.
• 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.

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide details on the vulnerability, but additional information on affected versions, exploitation, and remediation is limited. Defenders should verify exposure by checking Ansible Operator Plugin configurations and low-privileged Kubernetes user accounts. The vulnerability allows low-privileged Kubernetes users to inject malicious Jinja2 expressions into custom resource specifications, which are then executed within the operator pod. Cluster-wide permissions could be compromised, and verification of the

Sources and 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.