{
  "affected": [
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 3.5.6"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Go",
        "name": "github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "3.5.0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "3.5.7"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "database_specific": {
        "last_known_affected_version_range": "\u003c= 3.4.13"
      },
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Go",
        "name": "github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "fixed": "3.4.14"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Go",
        "name": "github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v2"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "last_affected": "2.12.8"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "package": {
        "ecosystem": "Go",
        "name": "github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller"
      },
      "ranges": [
        {
          "events": [
            {
              "introduced": "0"
            },
            {
              "last_affected": "1.3.4"
            }
          ],
          "type": "ECOSYSTEM"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aliases": [],
  "database_specific": {
    "cwe_ids": [
      "CWE-200"
    ],
    "github_reviewed": true,
    "github_reviewed_at": "2026-05-19T19:30:23Z",
    "nvd_published_at": null,
    "severity": "MODERATE"
  },
  "details": "## Summary\n\nA vulnerability in the Kong Ingress Controller (KIC) allows for the unauthorized exfiltration of TLS certificates and private keys across Kubernetes namespace boundaries. In \"managed\" mode (where the `GatewayClass` lacks an unmanaged annotation), the Gateway TLS translator skips critical status checks. This bypass allows the translator to fetch Secrets from any namespace KIC watches, even when a `ReferenceGrant` explicitly denies access or is missing.\n\nAn actor with RBAC permissions to create or modify Gateways in a low-privileged namespace can reference a Secret in a high-privileged namespace, causing KIC to \"leak\" that Secret\u0027s sensitive private key material into the Kong dataplane configuration.\n\n## Am I affected?\n\nYou are affected if all of these hold:\n1. You are using Kong Ingress Controller with the **Gateway API**.\n2. Your `GatewayClass` is operating in **managed mode** (default behavior, no unmanaged annotation).\n3. KIC is configured to **watch multiple namespaces** (multi-tenant environment).\n4. Users have RBAC permissions to `create` or `update` `gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io` in their own namespaces.\n\nYou are not affected if any of this:\n- You only use KIC for `Ingress` resources (not Gateway API).\n- Your `GatewayClass` uses the `konghq.com/gateway-unmanaged` annotation.\n- KIC is restricted via RBAC or configuration to only watch a single namespace.\n- You have strictly limited Gateway creation/modification permissions to trusted cluster administrators only.\n\n## Mitigation\n\n1. **Add unmanaged gateway annotation**: add the `konghq.com/gateway-unmanaged` annotation to your `GatewayClass`\n\n### Additional best practicies\n\n1. **Restrict Gateway RBAC**: Limit the ability to create or modify Gateway resources to high-trust administrative users until a patch is applied.\n2. **Namespace Isolation**: If possible, limit the namespaces KIC is permitted to watch using the `WATCH_NAMESPACE` environment variable or specific RBAC RoleBindings.\n\n## Fix\n\nThe fix mandates `ReferenceGrant` validation for all cross-namespace certificate references. By requiring a `Programmed: True` listener status, the translator now strictly authorizes external Secret access while maintaining default access for same-namespace certificates, effectively closing the exfiltration vector.\n\nFixed in [#7920](https://github.com/Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/pull/7920), with backports to supported release branches in [#7921](https://github.com/Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/pull/7921) and [#7922](https://github.com/Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/pull/7922).\n\nUpgrade to one of the following patched versions (or later):\n- **3.4.14**\n- **3.5.7**\n\n## CVSS\n\n`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/E:P` = **5.6 Medium**",
  "id": "GHSA-m23h-6mwm-39m8",
  "modified": "2026-05-19T19:30:23Z",
  "published": "2026-05-19T19:30:23Z",
  "references": [
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/security/advisories/GHSA-m23h-6mwm-39m8"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/pull/7920"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/pull/7921"
    },
    {
      "type": "WEB",
      "url": "https://github.com/Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/pull/7922"
    },
    {
      "type": "PACKAGE",
      "url": "https://github.com/Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller"
    }
  ],
  "schema_version": "1.4.0",
  "severity": [
    {
      "score": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/E:P",
      "type": "CVSS_V4"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Kong Ingress Controller for Kubernetes (KIC): Cross-namespace TLS Secret Exfiltration in Gateways with GatewayClass missing `konghq.com/gatewayclass-unmanaged: \u0027true\u0027` annotation"
}