Summary
KEDA has Arbitrary File Read via Insufficient Path Validation in HashiCorp Vault Service Account Credential
Full technical description
Workarounds
The only effective workaround is the strict restriction of permissions for creating and modifying TriggerAuthentication resources within the Kubernetes cluster.
Only trusted and authorized users should have create or update permissions on the TriggerAuthentication resource.
This limits an attacker's ability to configure a malicious TriggerAuthentication with an arbitrary path.
Is my project affected?
If it execute s
kubectl get deploy keda-operator -n keda -o jsonpath="{.spec.template.spec.containers[0].image}"
and the version is not 2.17.3, 2.18.3 or >= 2.19.0, that version is affected.
Impact
An Arbitrary File Read vulnerability has been identified in KEDA, potentially affecting any KEDA resource that uses TriggerAuthentication to configure HashiCorp Vault authentication.
The vulnerability stems from an incorrect or insufficient path validation when loading the Service Account Token specified in spec.hashiCorpVault.credential.serviceAccount.
An attacker with permissions to create or modify a TriggerAuthentication resource can exfiltrate the content of any file from the node's filesystem (where the KEDA pod resides) by directing the file's content to a server under their control, as part of the Vault authentication request.
The potential impact includes the exfiltration of sensitive system information, such as secrets, keys, or the content of files like /etc/passwd.
Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files. Typical impact: unauthorized file read or write outside the intended directory.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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The problem has been patched in v2.17.3 and 2.18.3 as well as in main branch.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-68476? CVE-2025-68476 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 (go), affecting versions >= 2.18.0, < 2.18.3. It is fixed in 2.18.3, 2.17.3. Input manipulates file paths to reach files outside the intended directory, such as configuration or credential files.
- Which versions of github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 are affected by CVE-2025-68476? github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 (go) versions >= 2.18.0, < 2.18.3 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-68476? Yes. CVE-2025-68476 is fixed in 2.18.3, 2.17.3. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2025-68476 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-68476 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-68476 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-68476?
- Upgrade
github.com/kedacore/keda/v2to 2.18.3 or later - Upgrade
github.com/kedacore/keda/v2to 2.17.3 or later
- Upgrade