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CVE-2026-84173NVD status: Deferred

Eclipse Ankaios: Incorrect Authorization

CVE-2026-84173 is a high-severity incorrect authorization vulnerability in Eclipse Ankaios from Eclipse Foundation, with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.3 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with administrator privileges, without any action from a user. Affected Eclipse Ankaios versions: 0.5.1 through 1.0.1. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.16% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of Eclipse Ankaios you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
  2. Read the advisory on github.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Eclipse FoundationEclipse Ankaios0.5.1 through 1.0.1Not stated

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
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Attack requirements
NoneThe attack does not depend on a particular deployment or configuration.
Privileges required
HighAdministrator-level access is required first.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
HighSerious loss of confidentiality on the vulnerable system.
Integrity (vulnerable system)
HighSerious loss of integrity on the vulnerable system.
Availability (vulnerable system)
NoneNo loss of availability on the vulnerable system.
Confidentiality (other systems)
NoneNo loss of confidentiality on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Integrity (other systems)
NoneNo loss of integrity on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Availability (other systems)
NoneNo loss of availability on systems beyond the vulnerable one.

Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. Scored by CNA (eclipse.org).

Official description

In Eclipse Ankaios versions v0.5.1 through v1.0.1, the agent-side Control Interface authorizer incorrectly evaluates multi-segment allow rules whose first path segment is a wildcard. An authenticated workload with access restricted by such a rule can submit a CompleteStateRequest or UpdateStateRequest with an empty field mask. The request may then be incorrectly authorized as matching the scoped rule, allowing the workload to read the complete cluster state or replace state outside its authorized subtree. This may result in unauthorized disclosure or modification of other workloads and cluster configuration. Only a rule consisting solely of * is intended to authorize an empty mask. Mitigation: Until an update containing the fix is installed, avoid multi-segment Control Interface allow-rule filter masks that begin with a wildcard, such as *.workloads.some_workload. Replace them with explicit paths such as desiredState.workloads.some_workload, where applicable. A filter mask consisting solely of * has different, intentionally unrestricted semantics and should only be used when full-state access is intended.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Incorrect Authorization

The product performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action, but it does not correctly perform the check.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Divide the product into anonymous, normal, privileged, and administrative areas. Reduce the attack surface by carefully mapping roles with data and functionality. Use role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce the roles at the appropriate boundaries. Note that this approach may not protect against horizontal authorization, i.e., it will not protect a user from attacking others with the same role.
  • Ensure that access control checks are performed related to the business logic. These checks may be different than the access control checks that are applied to more generic resources such as files, connections, processes, memory, and database records. For example, a database may restrict access for medical records to a specific database user, but each record might only be intended to be accessible to the patient and the patient's doctor.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, consider using authorization frameworks such as the JAAS Authorization Framework and the OWASP ESAPI Access Control feature.

More Incorrect Authorization vulnerabilities (CWE-863)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: poc, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Eclipse Ankaios

All Eclipse Ankaios vulnerabilities

Recent Incorrect Authorization vulnerabilities

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