How severe is CVE-2026-72640?

CVE-2026-72640 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2026-72640 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (29th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-72640?

CVE-2026-72640 affects Elastic Elastic Cloud On Kubernetes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-72640?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2026-72640 published?

CVE-2026-72640 was published on 2026-08-13 and last updated on 2026-09-03.

CVE-2026-72640

CVE-2026-72640 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Elastic Elastic Cloud On Kubernetes with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. 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-441.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (29th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-441
Affected product: Elastic Elastic Cloud On Kubernetes
Published: 2026-08-13
Last modified: 2026-09-03

Description

The Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) operator reads a list of secret references from an annotation on secrets it manages, and it accepts the namespace recorded in each reference without validating that the reference is authorized for the resource being reconciled. A user whose Kubernetes permissions are limited to their own namespace can write that annotation, trigger a reconcile, and cause the operator to use its cluster-wide secret permissions to copy the contents of a secret from any other namespace into a secret the user can read.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-72640?: The Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) operator reads a list of secret references from an annotation on secrets it manages, and it accepts the namespace recorded in each reference without validating that the reference is authorized for the resource being reconciled. A user whose Kubernetes permissions are limited to their own namespace can write that annotation, trigger a reconcile, and cause the operator to use its cluster-wide secret permissions to copy the contents of a secret from any other namespace into a secret the user can read.
How severe is CVE-2026-72640?: CVE-2026-72640 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2026-72640 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (29th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-72640?: CVE-2026-72640 affects Elastic Elastic Cloud On Kubernetes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-72640?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2026-72640 published?: CVE-2026-72640 was published on 2026-08-13 and last updated on 2026-09-03.

References

https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-cloud-on-kubernetes-3-5-0-security-update-esa-2026-121/389494

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:elastic:elastic_cloud_on_kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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