A compromised Windows node can forge a cluster-administrator certificate through WMCO's CSR auto-approver, CVSS 8.8
Status: UPDATED
| Advisory ID: CVE-2026-54099
Key Details
| CVE | CVE-2026-54099 |
| CVSS Score / Version | 8.8 (High) / CVSS v3.1 |
| CVSS Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| CVSS Prose | attack vector is local; attack complexity is low; privileges required is low; user interaction is none; scope is changed; confidentiality impact is high; integrity impact is high; availability impact is high. |
| Affected products | Red Hat openshift_container_platform and Red Hat windows_machine_config_operator |
| Classified as | CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) |
| Exploitation prediction (EPSS) | 0.11% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (1% percentile) -- FIRST.org's EPSS model. |
Affected Products, Subsystems & Sectors
| Subsystems | General OT |
| Sectors | Multiple |
What to Know
A flaw was found in the Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. The WICD CSR auto-approver validates that a Certificate Signing Request contains the organization system:wicd-nodes but does not reject additional organization values such as system:masters. A compromised Windows worker node that holds WICD credentials can submit a CSR that is auto-approved and signed by the cluster, yielding a client certificate that grants cluster-administrator privileges and enabling full cluster takeover.
What to Do
Monitor Red Hat's web page for any future patch releases. See vendor advisory link below.
References