pipelines: Improper Access Control
CVE-2026-54745 is a critical-severity improper access control vulnerability in pipelines from Kubeflow, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected pipelines versions: < 2.17.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.62% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 50% of scored CVEs.
Critical severity: a successful attack would have severe impact.
What to do
- Check which version of pipelines you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- ChangedThe attack can reach beyond the vulnerable component into other systems.
- Confidentiality
- HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
- Integrity
- HighData or code can be modified at will.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (github.com).
Official description
Kubeflow Pipelines enables users to build and deploy portable, scalable machine learning workflows. Prior to 2.17.0, the Kubeflow Pipelines frontend exposes an unauthenticated server-side request forgery vulnerability through the /_proxy/ route in frontend/server/proxy-middleware.ts. The _routePathWithReferer() function accepts an arbitrary attacker-controlled HTTP or HTTPS target and passes its origin to createProxyMiddleware without a host allowlist or filtering for loopback, link-local, RFC1918, or cluster-local addresses. The route remains outside the authorization middleware when ENABLE_AUTHZ=true and is reachable through /apis/v1beta1/_proxy/, /apis/v2beta1/_proxy/, /pipeline/apis/v1beta1/_proxy/, and /pipeline/apis/v2beta1/_proxy/, including through a crafted Referer header. Requests can forward attacker-controlled methods, headers such as Authorization, Cookie, and X-Forwarded-For, and POST bodies to reachable internal services, while returning the upstream response to the unauthenticated client. This can expose cloud metadata credentials, Kubernetes or service APIs, and other cluster-internal endpoints to unauthorized read or modification. This issue is fixed in version 2.17.0.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Improper Access Control
The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Very carefully manage the setting, management, and handling of privileges. Explicitly manage trust zones in the software.
- Compartmentalize the system to have safe areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Other vulnerabilities in pipelines
- 7.2 High severity
- 8.6 High severity
- 8.6 High severity
- 9.6 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Recent Improper Access Control vulnerabilities
- 10.0 Critical severity
- 8.6 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 9.0 Critical severity
- 9.1 Critical severity
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