CVE-2026-39961: Github.com/aiven/aiven operator Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2026-39961 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-441: Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy')) affecting Github.com/aiven/aiven operator libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves aiven operator has cross-namespace secret exfiltration via clickhouseuser conninfosecretsource. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.37.0.
CVE-2026-39961 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 6.8
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2026-39961
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/aiven/aiven operator dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
Upgrade github.com/aiven/aiven-operator to 0.37.0Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
inspect dependencies for github.com/aiven/aiven-operatorHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-39961, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/aiven/aiven operator:
inspect dependencies for github.com/aiven/aiven-operatorAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/aiven/aiven operator in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.37.0), your application is affected.
Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.
Technical Details
Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-441: Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy'), where the product receives a request, message, or directive from an upstream component, but the product does not sufficiently preserve the original source of the request before forwarding the request to an external actor that is outside of the product's control sphere. this causes the product to appear to be the source of the request, leading it to act as a proxy or other intermediary between the upstream component and the external actor. In Github.com/aiven/aiven operator, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.
Source Advisory Statement
CVE-2026-39961 Affected Github.com/aiven/aiven operator Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
github.com/aiven/aiven-operator
|
Go |
≥ 0.31.0
< 0.37.0
|
0.37.0
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-39961?
Which Github.com/aiven/aiven operator versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-39961?
Is github.com/aiven/aiven-operator affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-39961?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-39961?
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2026-39961?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-99j8-wv67-4c72",
"modified" : "2026-04-10T17:22:00Z",
"published" : "2026-04-10T17:22:00Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-39961" ],
"summary" : "Aiven Operator has cross-namespace secret exfiltration via ClickhouseUser connInfoSecretSource",
"details" : "### Impact\nA developer with create permission on ClickhouseUser CRDs in their own namespace can exfiltrate secrets from any other namespace — production database credentials, API keys, service tokens — with a single kubectl apply. The operator reads the victim's secret using its ClusterRole and writes the password into a new secret in the attacker's namespace.\n\nThe operator acts as a confused deputy: its ServiceAccount has cluster-wide secret read/write (aiven-operator-role ClusterRole), and it trusts user-supplied namespace values in spec.connInfoSecretSource.namespace without validation. No admission webhook enforces this boundary — the ServiceUser webhook returns nil, and no ClickhouseUser webhook exists.\n\n### Patches\n\nThis vulnerability is resolved in version 0.37.0. We recommend all users update as soon as possible.\n\n### Credits\n\nCredits to Andrés Cruciani for finding and reporting the bug through our [bug bounty program](https://bugcrowd.com/aiven-mbb-og)",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Go",
"name" : "github.com/aiven/aiven-operator"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0.31.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "0.37.0"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/aiven/aiven-operator/security/advisories/GHSA-99j8-wv67-4c72"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-39961"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/aiven/aiven-operator/commit/032c9ba63257fdd2fddfb7f73f71830e371ff182"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/aiven/aiven-operator"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/aiven/aiven-operator/releases/tag/v0.37.0"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269", "CWE-441" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-10T17:22:00Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-09T18:17:02Z"
}
}