CVE-2026-55226 is a medium-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in io.strimzi:strimzi (maven), affecting versions <= 1.0.0. It is fixed in 1.0.1.
Impact When only the Topic or only the User operators are deployed as part of the Entity Operator in the Kafka custom resource, the RBAC rights are not following the principle of least-privilege and the Entity Operator ServiceAccount still has access rights corresponding to both operators. That might allow the ServiceAccount to access KafkaUser custom resources and Secrets when the User operator is not deployed and access KafkaTopic custom resources when the Topic operator is not deployed. Patches The issue is fixed in Strimzi 1.0.1 and 1.1.0. Workarounds There is no workaround for this issue.
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
CVE-2026-55226 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). The vector is reachable from an adjacent network, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment.
A fixed version is available (1.0.1). Upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
maven
io.strimzi:strimzi (<= 1.0.0)io.strimzi:strimzi → 1.0.1 (maven)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 instead of chasing every advisory.
Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether CVE-2026-55226 is reachable in your applications. Explore open-source security for your team.
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Upgrade io.strimzi:strimzi to 1.0.1 or later to resolve this vulnerability.
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
CVE-2026-55226 is a medium-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in io.strimzi:strimzi (maven), affecting versions <= 1.0.0. It is fixed in 1.0.1. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
CVE-2026-55226 has a CVSS score of 5.4 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
io.strimzi:strimzi (maven) versions <= 1.0.0 is affected.
Yes. CVE-2026-55226 is fixed in 1.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Whether CVE-2026-55226 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
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.
Upgrade io.strimzi:strimzi to 1.0.1 or later.