How severe is CVE-2026-22822?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-22822 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-22822?

CVE-2026-22822 affects the following packages: github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2026-22822?

Update github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets to 1.2.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-22822 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-22822 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-22822 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.

Is CVE-2026-22822 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-22822 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2026-22822?

CVE-2026-22822 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.2%, placing it in the 9th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-22822?

CVE-2026-22822 is classified as CWE-863 (CWE-863). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2026-22822 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-22822 was published on January 21, 2026 and was last updated on October 28, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐹 Go

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2026-22822 — external-secrets

Fix: external-secrets/external-secrets@17d3e22

CVE-2026-22822 is a CWE-863 vulnerability in github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets. A fix is available for github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets — see the affected versions and patch details below.

External Secrets Operator insecurely retrieves secrets through the getSecretKey templating function

Also known asGHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2GO-2026-4330

Published

Jan 21, 2026

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 9, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2026-22822.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs9th percentile — riskier than 9% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐹github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Summary

The getSecretKey template function, while introduced for senhasegura Devops Secrets Management (DSM) provider, has the ability to fetch secrets cross-namespaces with the roleBinding of the external-secrets controller, bypassing our security mechanisms.

This function was completely removed, as everything done with that templating function can be done in a different way while respecting our safeguards (for example, using sourceRef like explained here: https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/issues/5690#issuecomment-3630977865)

Impact

Cross-namespace secret access: Attackers or misconfigured resources could retrieve secrets from namespaces other than the one intended.
privilege escalation: Unauthorized access to secrets could lead to privilege escalation, data exfiltration, or compromise of service accounts and credentials.

Resolution

We removed the incriminated templating function from our codebase. All users should upgrade to the latest version containing this fix.

Workarounds

Use a policy engine such as Kubernetes, Kyverno, Kubewarden, or OPA to prevent the usage of getSecretKey in any ExternalSecret resource.

Details

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets`	≥ 0.20.2&&< 1.2.0	1.2.0`go get github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets@v1.2.0`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

external secrets operatorexternal-secrets

≥ 0.20.2 && < 1.2.0

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets to 1.2.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-22822 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatImportant

This vulnerability is rated Important for Red Hat products, including External Secrets Operator for Red Hat OpenShift. The `getSecretKey` template function in affected versions of External Secrets Operator allows a user with an authenticated account to retrieve secrets from other Kubernetes namespaces, bypassing…

Workaround published by Red Hat

To mitigate this issue, use a policy engine such as Kubernetes, Kyverno, Kubewarden, or OPA to prevent the usage of the `getSecretKey` function within any `ExternalSecret` resource. This will block the vulnerable function from being exploited. Applying such policies may require restarting affected pods or services for the changes to take effect.

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2026-22822 (CC BY 4.0)

Frequently Asked Questions

### Summary The `getSecretKey` template function, while introduced for senhasegura Devops Secrets Management (DSM) provider, has the ability to fetch secrets cross-namespaces with the roleBinding of the external-secrets controller, bypassing our security mechanisms. This function was completely removed, as everything done with that templating function can be done in a different way while respecting our safeguards (for example, using `sourceRef` like explained here: https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/issues/5690#issuecomment-3630977865) ### Impact - Cross-namespace secret a

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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