GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2
External Secrets Operator insecurely retrieves secrets through the getSecretKey templating function
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.
Blast Radius
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
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
See also:
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets | ≥ 0.20.2&&< 1.2.0 | 1.2.0 |
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. 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 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 GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2 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 GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2 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 GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2 across Go dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.