CVE-2026-42875 — external-secrets
CVE-2026-42875 is a CWE-285 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: Namespace Isolation Bypass in CAProvider ConfigMap Resolution for SecretStore
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/external-secrets/external-secretsReal-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
Impact
Namespaced SecretStore resources that used CAProvider with type ConfigMap could resolve CA material from another namespace when caProvider.namespace was set.
This bypassed the namespace boundary enforced for SecretStore-backed references in providers that rely on the shared runtime CA resolver.
The accessible data is used as CA validation material, hence it is not directly exposed.
Impact:
- Direct data exfiltration risk: low
- Existence disclosure: an attacker can infer whether a target ConfigMap/key exists in another namespace.
- Trust-boundary violation: a tenant can make its SecretStore consume CA material owned by another namespace.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets | all versions | 2.4.0go get github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets@v2.4.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
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 2.4.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-42875 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2026-42875 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2026-42875. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2026-42875 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2026-42875 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.