{"id":"CVE-2026-45021","aliases":["CVE-2026-18676","GHSA-3vcp-chfh-f6r2","GO-2026-5102"],"url":"https://o3.security/vulnerability/CVE-2026-45021","summary":"Kuma: Default kuma-cp leaks admin token cross-origin via CORS wildcard + LocalhostIsAdmin","details":"## Summary\n\nDefault `kuma-cp` config leaks the admin bootstrap token and signing keys to any webpage the operator visits while the control plane is reachable from their browser. `CorsAllowedDomains: [\".*\"]` reflects any `Origin`, and `LocalhostIsAdmin: true` promotes requests from `127.0.0.1` to `mesh-system:admin`. A cross-origin `fetch()` from a malicious page returns the admin JWT and signing material.\n\n## Am I affected?\n\nYou are affected if all of these hold:\n\n1. `kuma-cp` runs with default config (`CorsAllowedDomains: [\".*\"]` and `LocalhostIsAdmin: true`).\n2. The control plane is reachable from a browser on the same machine:\n   - `kuma-cp run` on a developer laptop\n   - Docker `--network host` or port-publish on a workstation\n   - `kubectl port-forward` from a machine that also browses the web\n3. The operator visits a page running attacker JavaScript while the control plane is reachable.\n\nYou are not affected if:\n\n- The control plane runs on a Kubernetes cluster accessed via ClusterIP, NodePort, or LoadBalancer from a remote client.\n- The control plane runs on an SSH-administered VM with no browser on the host.\n- `KUMA_API_SERVER_AUTHN_LOCALHOST_IS_ADMIN=false` is set (see https://kuma.io/docs/latest/production/secure-deployment/api-server-auth/).\n- `KUMA_API_SERVER_CORS_ALLOWED_DOMAINS` is set to an explicit allowlist that excludes attacker origins.\n\n## Mitigation\n\n1. Set `KUMA_API_SERVER_AUTHN_LOCALHOST_IS_ADMIN=false` after retrieving the admin token.\n2. Set `KUMA_API_SERVER_CORS_ALLOWED_DOMAINS` to an explicit allowlist, for example `http://localhost:5681,http://127.0.0.1:5681`.\n3. Do not run `kuma-cp` on a machine where you browse untrusted sites.\n\n## Fix\n\nFixed in [#16416](https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16416), backported to all supported release branches ([#16423](https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16423), [#16424](https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16424), [#16425](https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16425), [#16426](https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16426), [#16427](https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16427)).\n\nChanges in patched versions:\n\n- `CorsAllowedDomains` default changed from `[\".*\"]` to `[]` — CORS is now opt-in; set the env var explicitly if you need GUI access.\n- `LocalhostIsAdmin` hardened: now requires direct loopback `RemoteAddr` and `Host`, and rejects requests carrying proxy-hop headers (`X-Forwarded-For`), cross-site fetch metadata (`Sec-Fetch-Site`), or a non-localhost `Origin`.\n\nUpgrade to a patched version:\n\n- 2.7.25\n- 2.9.15\n- 2.11.13\n- 2.12.10\n- 2.13.5\n\n## Credits\n\nReported by `eldudareeno`.\n\n## CVSS\n\n`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N` = 5.1 Medium.","published":"2026-05-28T17:45:14.434Z","modified":"2026-08-13T04:10:36.471482007Z","cvss":null,"epss":{"score":0.00204,"percentile":0.10237,"asOf":"2026-08-24"},"cisaKev":null,"exploitsKnown":0,"affectedPackages":[{"ecosystem":"Go","name":"github.com/kumahq/kuma","fixedVersion":"2.7.25"},{"ecosystem":"Go","name":"github.com/kumahq/kuma","fixedVersion":"2.9.15"},{"ecosystem":"Go","name":"github.com/kumahq/kuma","fixedVersion":"2.11.13"},{"ecosystem":"Go","name":"github.com/kumahq/kuma","fixedVersion":"2.12.10"},{"ecosystem":"Go","name":"github.com/kumahq/kuma","fixedVersion":"2.13.5"}],"fix":{"url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/commit/8fefa8595d44eb68d922405702ed7a0826322907","label":"kumahq/kuma@8fefa85"},"references":[{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2026/45xxx/CVE-2026-45021.json"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/security/advisories/GHSA-3vcp-chfh-f6r2"},{"type":"ADVISORY","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-45021"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/commit/8fefa8595d44eb68d922405702ed7a0826322907"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16416"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16423"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16424"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16425"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16426"},{"type":"FIX","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma/pull/16427"},{"type":"PACKAGE","url":"https://github.com/kumahq/kuma"}],"provenance":{"sources":["OSV.dev","FIRST.org (EPSS)"],"lastVerified":"2026-08-13T04:10:36.471482007Z"}}