Vulnerability · Published Aug 13, 2025 · Assigned by GitHub_M
CVE-2025-55196External Secrets Operator Missing Namespace Restriction in PushSecret and SecretStore List() Calls Allows Unauthorized Secret Access
High 7.1
In plain English
A high-severity improper access control in external-secrets from external-secrets. There are no confirmed reports of exploitation so far. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.4% (higher than 34% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Official description
External Secrets Operator is a Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems. From version 0.15.0 to before 0.19.2, a vulnerability was discovered where the List() calls for Kubernetes Secret and SecretStore resources performed by the PushSecret controller did not apply a namespace selector. This flaw allowed an attacker to use label selectors to list and read secrets/secret-stores across the cluster, bypassing intended namespace restrictions. An attacker with the ability to create or update PushSecret resources and control SecretStore configurations could exploit this vulnerability to exfiltrate sensitive data from arbitrary namespaces. This could lead to full disclosure of Kubernetes secrets, including credentials, tokens, and other sensitive information stored in the cluster. This vulnerability has been patched in version 0.19.2. A workaround for this issue includes auditing and restricting RBAC permissions so that only trusted service accounts can create or update PushSecret and SecretStore resources.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets | 0.19.2 | GHSA-fcxq-v2r3-cc8h |
| Go | github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets | 0.19.2 | GO-2025-3885 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| external-secrets | external-secrets | >= 0.15.0, < 0.19.2 |
Weakness: CWE-284 · Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
References
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/security/advisories/GHSA-fcxq-v2r3-cc8h x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/pull/5109 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/pull/5133 x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/commit/39cdba5863533007b582dc63dd300839326b2f1d x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/commit/de40e8f4fa9559c1d770bb674589b285da5ef2d1 x_refsource_MISC