Summary
Pepr Has Overly Permissive RBAC ClusterRole in Admin Mode
Severity: LOW
Target: /workspace/pepr/src/lib/assets/rbac.ts
Endpoint: Kubernetes RBAC configuration
Method: Deployment
Response / Rationale
Pepr defaults to rbacMode: "admin" because the initial experience is designed to be frictionless for new users. This mode ensures that users can deploy and run the default hello-pepr.ts module without needing to understand or pre-configure RBAC rules.
It’s important to note that hello-pepr.ts is intended strictly as a demo to showcase Pepr features and workflow. It is not intended for production use, and the documentation explicitly calls out that admin RBAC should not be used in production environments.
That said, if a user skips the documentation and does not review the npx pepr build options, they could deploy a module with broader privileges than necessary.
We consider this low severity because Pepr is a framework: the module author is ultimately responsible for selecting the appropriate RBAC scope for their module and environment as each module has different RBAC needs and requirements.
Our security focus is on ensuring the Pepr controller and runtime components operate securely within Kubernetes, while still allowing developers the flexibility to build modules with the access they require.
In order to fix this we will warn the user in logs that the default ClusterRole is cluster-admin and that it is not recommended for production.
How this can be exploited
This is not an inherently exploitable CVE in the traditional sense. It is being flagged because Pepr defaults to a cluster-admin RBAC configuration and does not explicitly force or enforce least-privilege guidance for module authors.
The default behavior exists to make the “getting started” experience smooth: new users can experiment with Pepr and create resources dynamically without needing to pre-configure RBAC.
Remediation: scope RBAC appropriately before deploying to production. Running:
npx pepr build --rbac-mode=scoped
generates the minimum RBAC required for the controller/informer to watch resources. Any additional permissions must be added based on the specific Kubernetes resources and CRUD operations performed by the module
Impact
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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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2026-23634? CVE-2026-23634 is a low-severity security vulnerability in pepr (npm), affecting versions < 1.0.5. It is fixed in 1.0.5.
- Which versions of pepr are affected by CVE-2026-23634? pepr (npm) versions < 1.0.5 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2026-23634? Yes. CVE-2026-23634 is fixed in 1.0.5. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2026-23634 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-23634 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-2026-23634 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-2026-23634? Upgrade
peprto 1.0.5 or later.