What is GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?

GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 (go), affecting versions >= 3.5.0, <= 3.5.6. It is fixed in 3.5.7, 3.4.14.

Which packages are affected by GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?

github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 (go) versions >= 3.5.0, <= 3.5.6; github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v2 (go) versions <= 2.12.8; github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller (go) versions <= 1.3.4.

Is there a fix for GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?

Yes. GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 is fixed in 3.5.7, 3.4.14. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 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.

What actually determines whether GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 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 GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?

Upgrade: github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 to 3.5.7 or later, github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 to 3.4.14 or later.

GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8

Q: Which packages are affected by GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?

github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 (go) versions >= 3.5.0, <= 3.5.6; github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v2 (go) versions <= 2.12.8; github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller (go) versions <= 1.3.4.

Q: Is there a fix for GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?

Yes. GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 is fixed in 3.5.7, 3.4.14. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 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.

Q: What actually determines whether GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 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.

Q: How do I fix GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?

Upgrade: github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 to 3.5.7 or later, github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 to 3.4.14 or later.

Summary

Kong Ingress Controller for Kubernetes (KIC): Cross-namespace TLS Secret Exfiltration in Gateways with GatewayClass missing konghq.com/gatewayclass-unmanaged: 'true' annotation

A vulnerability in the Kong Ingress Controller (KIC) allows for the unauthorized exfiltration of TLS certificates and private keys across Kubernetes namespace boundaries. In "managed" mode (where the GatewayClass lacks an unmanaged annotation), the Gateway TLS translator skips critical status checks. This bypass allows the translator to fetch Secrets from any namespace KIC watches, even when a ReferenceGrant explicitly denies access or is missing.

An actor with RBAC permissions to create or modify Gateways in a low-privileged namespace can reference a Secret in a high-privileged namespace, causing KIC to "leak" that Secret's sensitive private key material into the Kong dataplane configuration.

Am I affected?

You are affected if all of these hold:

You are using Kong Ingress Controller with the Gateway API.
Your GatewayClass is operating in managed mode (default behavior, no unmanaged annotation).
KIC is configured to watch multiple namespaces (multi-tenant environment).
Users have RBAC permissions to create or update gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io in their own namespaces.

You are not affected if any of this:

You only use KIC for Ingress resources (not Gateway API).
Your GatewayClass uses the konghq.com/gateway-unmanaged annotation.
KIC is restricted via RBAC or configuration to only watch a single namespace.
You have strictly limited Gateway creation/modification permissions to trusted cluster administrators only.

Mitigation

Add unmanaged gateway annotation: add the konghq.com/gateway-unmanaged annotation to your GatewayClass

Additional best practicies

Restrict Gateway RBAC: Limit the ability to create or modify Gateway resources to high-trust administrative users until a patch is applied.
Namespace Isolation: If possible, limit the namespaces KIC is permitted to watch using the WATCH_NAMESPACE environment variable or specific RBAC RoleBindings.

CVSS

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/E:P = 5.6 Medium

Impact

Affected versions

github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 (>= 3.5.0, <= 3.5.6) github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 (<= 3.4.13) github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v2 (<= 2.12.8) github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller (<= 1.3.4)

Security releases

github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 → 3.5.7 (go) github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 → 3.4.14 (go)

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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Remediation advice

The fix mandates ReferenceGrant validation for all cross-namespace certificate references. By requiring a Programmed: True listener status, the translator now strictly authorizes external Secret access while maintaining default access for same-namespace certificates, effectively closing the exfiltration vector.

Fixed in #7920, with backports to supported release branches in #7921 and #7922.

Upgrade to one of the following patched versions (or later):

3.4.14
3.5.7

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8? GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 (go), affecting versions >= 3.5.0, <= 3.5.6. It is fixed in 3.5.7, 3.4.14.
Which packages are affected by GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?
- github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 (go) (versions >= 3.5.0, <= 3.5.6)
- github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v2 (go) (versions <= 2.12.8)
- github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller (go) (versions <= 1.3.4)
Is there a fix for GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8? Yes. GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 is fixed in 3.5.7, 3.4.14. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 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 GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8 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 GHSA-M23H-6MWM-39M8?
- Upgrade github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 to 3.5.7 or later
- Upgrade github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3 to 3.4.14 or later

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v3

CVE-IDSeverityPackage summary

GHSA-3278-C88V-XRH4Mediumgithub.com/kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller/v2: Kong Ingress Controller for Kubernetes (KIC): Secret-backed plugin configurations leak through non-sensitive diagnostics endpoint