How severe is CVE-2026-61549?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-61549 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-61549?

CVE-2026-61549 affects the following packages: go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3 (Go), github.com/woodpecker-ci/woodpecker (Go), go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v2 (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2026-61549?

Update go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3 to 3.16.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-61549 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-61549 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-61549 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-2026-61549 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-61549 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-2026-61549?

CVE-2026-61549 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.3%, placing it in the 19th 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-2026-61549?

CVE-2026-61549 is classified as Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269), CWE-862 (CWE-862). These weakness types describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2026-61549 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-61549 was published on September 15, 2026 and was last updated on October 2, 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-2026-61549 — woodpecker

Fix: woodpecker-ci/woodpecker@5df9d52

CVE-2026-61549 is a Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3. A fix is available for go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3 — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Woodpecker: Privilege escalation via unrestricted serviceAccountName in the Kubernetes backend

Also known asGHSA-qf34-295c-26v8GO-2026-5992

Published

Sep 15, 2026

Updated

Oct 2, 2026

Affected

3 pkgs

Patched

1 / 3

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Oct 13, 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-2026-61549.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs19th percentile — riskier than 19% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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

Real-World Exposure

3 pkgs affected

🐹go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3🐹github.com/woodpecker-ci/woodpecker🐹go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v2

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

Impact

A privilege escalation vulnerability affects Woodpecker instances using the Kubernetes backend.

The pipeline option backend_options.kubernetes.serviceAccountName was passed directly to the pod spec without any admin gating.

Who is impacted: any operator running the Kubernetes backend. Any user with Push permission on a connected repository can run pipeline pods under an arbitrary ServiceAccount in the pipeline namespace, gaining that account's RBAC permissions. If a privileged ServiceAccount is reachable in that namespace, this can lead to secret exfiltration (database credentials, API keys, TLS certs) and full cluster takeover.

Patches

https://github.com/woodpecker-ci/woodpecker/pull/6792

Workarounds

Operators who cannot upgrade immediately can mitigate by any of:

Restrict Push access on repositories connected to the Kubernetes-backed instance to trusted users only.
Harden the pipeline namespace: ensure no privileged ServiceAccount exists or is bound in the namespace where pipeline pods run; keep the default ServiceAccount minimally privileged.
Disable ServiceAccount token automounting for ServiceAccounts that should not be used by pipelines.
Enforce an admission policy (e.g. OPA/Gatekeeper, Kyverno, or a ValidatingAdmissionPolicy) that rejects pipeline pods setting an unexpected serviceAccountName.
Use a dedicated, isolated namespace per org/instance with no sensitive RBAC bindings.

Resources

Vulnerable option introduced in commit 609ba481b5e912f59aaae8ca7bc22b44523c5e37
Affected versions: v1.0.0 through v3.15.0
Source: pipeline/backend/kubernetes/backend_options.go (field ServiceAccountName), pipeline/backend/kubernetes/pod.go (assigned to pod spec with no gating)

Affected Packages

3 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3`	all versions	3.16.0`go get go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3@v3.16.0`
🐹Go	`github.com/woodpecker-ci/woodpecker`	≥ 1.0.0	No fix
🐹Go	`go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v2`	all versions	No fix

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3 to 3.16.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-61549 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact A privilege escalation vulnerability affects Woodpecker instances using the **Kubernetes backend**. The pipeline option `backend_options.kubernetes.serviceAccountName` was passed directly to the pod spec without any admin gating. **Who is impacted:** any operator running the Kubernetes backend. Any user with **Push** permission on a connected repository can run pipeline pods under an arbitrary ServiceAccount in the pipeline namespace, gaining that account's RBAC permissions. If a privileged ServiceAccount is reachable in that namespace, this can lead to secret exfiltration (datab