High priorityDisclosed

Advisory · CVE-2026-122320

Kyverno generate clone can copy a victim namespace's ConfigMaps

Kyverno before 1.19.2 has a missing authorization flaw: namespaced Policy authors can read resources in other namespaces by templating generate.clone or cloneList namespace values, so the background controller copies a victim namespace's sensitive ConfigMap into the attacker's namespace. Kyverno rates it CVSS 4.0 8.3.

Advisory published November 5, 2026Independent summary
Vendor
Kyverno
Product
Kyverno
Identifier / CWE
CVE-2026-122320
CWE-862
Action timing
Immediate
ELI5

Explain it like I’m five

A policy can tell Kyverno to copy a ConfigMap from another namespace, and Kyverno copies it without asking whether the author is allowed to read it.

SIMPLIFIED_ATTACK_PATH04 STEPS
  1. 01Policy with templated clone

    A namespaced Policy author templates generate.clone or cloneList namespace values.

  2. 02Trigger annotated

    The attacker annotates a triggering ConfigMap so the background controller fires.

  3. 03Background controller copies

    The controller copies the victim namespace's sensitive ConfigMap into the attacker's namespace.

  4. 04Cross-tenant data disclosed

    The attacker reads the copied ConfigMap in their own namespace.

What happened

Kyverno disclosed CVE-2026-122320 for Kyverno before 1.19.2. A missing authorization vulnerability lets namespaced Policy authors read resources in other namespaces by templating generate.clone or cloneList namespace values: an attacker annotates a triggering ConfigMap so the background controller copies a victim namespace’s sensitive ConfigMap into the attacker’s namespace, enabling cross-tenant data disclosure.

The advisory rates it CVSS 4.0 8.3 and identifies Kyverno 1.19.2 as the fixed release.

What to do

  1. Inventory Kyverno installations and confirm the deployed version.
  2. Upgrade affected installations to Kyverno 1.19.2 or later using the project release guidance.
  3. While remediation is underway, limit who can create Policies with generate.clone or cloneList rules.
  4. Review Kubernetes audit logs for generate.clone activity and for ConfigMaps appearing in namespaces that should not hold them.
  5. Check whether sensitive ConfigMaps were copied across namespaces and rotate any exposed values.

Management note

Generate rules are a convenience that copies data on your behalf, which makes a missing check in them a data leak by design. Audit the copies, not just the policies.