How severe is CVE-2026-40868?

CVE-2026-40868 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2026-40868 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (21st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-40868?

CVE-2026-40868 affects Kyverno. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-40868?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

Does CVE-2026-40868 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2026-40868 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-24237.

When was CVE-2026-40868 published?

CVE-2026-40868 was published on 2026-04-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2026-40868

CVE-2026-40868 is a high-severity vulnerability in Kyverno with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-922.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.1)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (21st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2026-24237
Weakness: CWE-922
Affected product: Kyverno
Published: 2026-04-21
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Kyverno is a policy engine designed for cloud native platform engineering teams. Prior to 1.16.4, kyverno’s apiCall servicecall helper implicitly injects Authorization: Bearer ... using the kyverno controller serviceaccount token when a policy does not explicitly set an Authorization header. Because context.apiCall.service.url is policy-controlled, this can send the kyverno serviceaccount token to an attacker-controlled endpoint (confused deputy). Namespaced policies are blocked from servicecall usage by the namespaced urlPath gate in pkg/engine/apicall/apiCall.go, so this report is scoped to ClusterPolicy and global context usage. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.16.4.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-40868?: Kyverno is a policy engine designed for cloud native platform engineering teams. Prior to 1.16.4, kyverno’s apiCall servicecall helper implicitly injects Authorization: Bearer ... using the kyverno controller serviceaccount token when a policy does not explicitly set an Authorization header. Because context.apiCall.service.url is policy-controlled, this can send the kyverno serviceaccount token to an attacker-controlled endpoint (confused deputy). Namespaced policies are blocked from servicecall usage by the namespaced urlPath gate in pkg/engine/apicall/apiCall.go, so this report is scoped to ClusterPolicy and global context usage. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.16.4.
How severe is CVE-2026-40868?: CVE-2026-40868 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2026-40868 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (21st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-40868?: CVE-2026-40868 affects Kyverno. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-40868?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2026-40868 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2026-40868 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-24237.
When was CVE-2026-40868 published?: CVE-2026-40868 was published on 2026-04-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-q93q-v844-jrqp

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:kyverno:kyverno:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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