CVE-2026-62290
cert-manager: Direct ACME Challenge resources can bypass Issuer DNS01 solver policy and use ClusterIssuer DNS credentials
Description
cert-manager adds certificates and certificate issuers as resource types in Kubernetes clusters, and simplifies the process of obtaining, renewing and using those certificates. From 1.18.0 until 1.19.6 and 1.20.3, Challenge resources under acme.cert-manager.io can be created directly by namespace users without admission validation tying the Challenge to an Order, owner reference, or Issuer-selected solver, allowing attacker-controlled Challenge.spec.solver values referencing a ClusterIssuer to bypass DNS01 solver selectors such as dnsZones, dnsNames, and matchLabels and cause cert-manager to use ClusterIssuer DNS credentials for attacker-selected provider settings and DNS names, including disclosure of X-Api-User and X-Api-Key headers for acme-dns. This issue is fixed in versions 1.19.6 and 1.20.3.
INFO
Published Date :
July 16, 2026, 8:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
July 30, 2026, 2:27 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-62290
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Update cert-manager to version 1.19.6 or 1.20.3.
- Apply admission validation to Challenge resources.
- Ensure Challenges reference valid Orders and Issuers.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github
CVE-2026-62290 has a 1 public
PoC/Exploit available at Github.
Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-62290.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/commit/6bda47297c8fbc6b121b8b76624b668d26f1a155 | Patch |
| https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/commit/b37dbf01ecea50a0b3a19df0a7fe4c5ad6803f16 | Patch |
| https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8940 | Issue Tracking Patch |
| https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8941 | Issue Tracking Patch |
| https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/tag/v1.19.6 | Product Release Notes |
| https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/tag/v1.20.3 | Product Release Notes |
| https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/security/advisories/GHSA-8rvj-mm4h-c258 | Exploit Mitigation Vendor Advisory |
| https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/security/advisories/GHSA-8rvj-mm4h-c258 | Exploit Mitigation Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-62290 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-62290
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
None
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-62290 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-62290 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 30, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:cert-manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 1.18.0 up to (excluding) 1.19.6 *cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:cert-manager:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 1.20.0 up to (excluding) 1.20.3 Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/commit/6bda47297c8fbc6b121b8b76624b668d26f1a155 Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/commit/b37dbf01ecea50a0b3a19df0a7fe4c5ad6803f16 Types: Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8940 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8941 Types: Issue Tracking, Patch Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/tag/v1.19.6 Types: Product, Release Notes Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/tag/v1.20.3 Types: Product, Release Notes Added Reference Type GitHub, Inc.: https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/security/advisories/GHSA-8rvj-mm4h-c258 Types: Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/security/advisories/GHSA-8rvj-mm4h-c258 Types: Exploit, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jul. 18, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/security/advisories/GHSA-8rvj-mm4h-c258 Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-62290', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-07-18T03:10:03.467394Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jul. 16, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'vendor': 'cert-manager', 'product': 'cert-manager', 'versions': [{'status': 'affected', 'version': '>= 1.18.0, < 1.19.6'}, {'status': 'affected', 'version': '>= 1.20.0, < 1.20.3'}]}] Added Description cert-manager adds certificates and certificate issuers as resource types in Kubernetes clusters, and simplifies the process of obtaining, renewing and using those certificates. From 1.18.0 until 1.19.6 and 1.20.3, Challenge resources under acme.cert-manager.io can be created directly by namespace users without admission validation tying the Challenge to an Order, owner reference, or Issuer-selected solver, allowing attacker-controlled Challenge.spec.solver values referencing a ClusterIssuer to bypass DNS01 solver selectors such as dnsZones, dnsNames, and matchLabels and cause cert-manager to use ClusterIssuer DNS credentials for attacker-selected provider settings and DNS names, including disclosure of X-Api-User and X-Api-Key headers for acme-dns. This issue is fixed in versions 1.19.6 and 1.20.3. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N Added CWE CWE-863 Added Reference https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/commit/6bda47297c8fbc6b121b8b76624b668d26f1a155 Added Reference https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/commit/b37dbf01ecea50a0b3a19df0a7fe4c5ad6803f16 Added Reference https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8940 Added Reference https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8941 Added Reference https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/tag/v1.19.6 Added Reference https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/tag/v1.20.3 Added Reference https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/security/advisories/GHSA-8rvj-mm4h-c258