CVE-2026-55225: Strimzi Cross-namespace Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2026-55225 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.0) cross-namespace privilege escalation vulnerability (CWE-441: Unintended Proxy or Intermediary ('Confused Deputy')) affecting Strimzi libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cross-namespace privilege escalation via `kafka.spec.entityoperator`. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.1.
CVE-2026-55225 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 8.0
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2026-55225
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Strimzi dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>io.strimzi</groupId>
<artifactId>strimzi</artifactId>
<version>1.0.1</version>
</dependency>Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.strimziHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-55225, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.strimziAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Strimzi in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.1), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.strimzi command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.
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 Strimzi, 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-2026-55225 Affected Strimzi Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
io.strimzi:strimzi
|
Maven |
< 1.0.1
|
1.0.1
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-55225?
Which Strimzi versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2026-55225?
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What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-55225?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-55225?
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Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-mw9r-p8xp-wx96",
"modified" : "2026-06-18T13:04:44Z",
"published" : "2026-06-18T13:04:43Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-55225" ],
"summary" : "Strimzi: Cross-namespace privilege escalation via `Kafka.spec.entityOperator`",
"details" : "### Impact\n\nHaving the Topic and User operators to watch different namespaces than the one where the Kafka cluster is deployed, is a fully documented feature.\n\nWhen the `watchedNamespace` field is used within the Topic or User operator (as part of the `Kafka.spec.entityOperator` field), the Cluster Operator creates a Role granting full CRUD on Secrets into the specified namespace. It also creates a RoleBinding to bind such Role to the entity operator ServiceAccount within the namespace where the Kafka cluster runs.\n\nAn attacker can craft a Kafka custom resource (in an attacker's namespace) with the `watchedNamespace` field set to a target namespace and then they can mint a token for the ServiceAccount (in the attacker's namespace) to read/write Secrets in that target. This is valid with any target namespace for which the Cluster Operator has the rights (regardless the value of the `STRIMZI_NAMESPACE` environment variable). The at-risk target namespaces are the namespaces which the user has given permissions to the Cluster Operator for, by creating related RoleBinding(s).\n\n### Patches\n\nThe issue is fixed in Strimzi 1.0.1 and 1.1.0 by adding a control to enable the watched namespace feature through a dedicated environment variable within the Cluster Operator deployment. The watched namespaces feature is disabled by default.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nA possible workaround for this issue is about using a policy agent like Kyverno or OPA to prevent the usage of the `watchedNamespace` at configuration level within the `Kafka` custom resource.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "io.strimzi:strimzi"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.0.1"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.0.0"
}
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator/security/advisories/GHSA-mw9r-p8xp-wx96"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/strimzi/strimzi-kafka-operator"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269", "CWE-441" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-18T13:04:43Z",
"nvd_published_at" : null
}
}