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. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-61549 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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 does O3 Security protect against CVE-2026-61549?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-61549 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

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.

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

CVE-2026-61549 was published on July 14, 2026 and was last updated on July 21, 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

Fix: woodpecker-ci/woodpecker#6792

CVE-2026-61549 is a security vulnerability in go.woodpecker-ci.org/woodpecker/v3. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2026-61549 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.

Woodpecker: Privilege escalation via unrestricted serviceAccountName in the Kubernetes backend

Also known asGO-2026-5992

Published

Jul 14, 2026

Updated

Jul 21, 2026

Affected

3 pkgs

Patched

1 / 3

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Jul 21, 2026 · OSV.dev, 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	`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. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
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
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 pinpoints whether CVE-2026-61549 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Tailored to CVE-2026-61549. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

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

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2026-61549 in your dependencies?

O3 detects CVE-2026-61549 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVE-2026-61549

Real-World Exposure

Description

Impact

Patches

Workarounds

Resources

Affected Packages

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

How O3 protects you

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2026-61549 in your dependencies?