CVE-2026-105163 in crossplane-runtime
Summary
by MITRE • 10/05/2026
A vulnerability was detected in crossplane crossplane-runtime up to 2.2.2/2.3.2. This vulnerability affects the function Get of the file pkg/xpkg/client.go of the component ImageConfig. The manipulation results in time-of-check time-of-use. The attack may be launched remotely. Upgrading to version 2.2.3, 2.3.3 and 2.4.0-rc.1 is able to resolve this issue. The patch is identified as bee99c6cd6ca81878acca2940a2f0a02169fc208. You should upgrade the affected component.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/05/2026
The crossplane-runtime library, a foundational component of the Crossplane control plane for Kubernetes, contains a critical time-of-check to time-of-use vulnerability within its image configuration handling logic. This flaw resides specifically in the Get function located in the pkg/xpkg/client.go file and affects versions up through 2.2.2, 2.3.2, as well as earlier releases in those branches. The vulnerability arises from a race condition where the system checks an image reference for validity or safety before using it to pull or configure container images. In concurrent execution environments typical of Kubernetes clusters, this gap allows an attacker to manipulate the underlying resource between the initial check and its subsequent use. This classic TOCTOU flaw undermines the integrity of the image verification process, potentially allowing maliciously crafted or unauthorized container images to be executed within the cluster environment if the timing conditions are met during a race window.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability is categorized under CWE-367, which defines time-of-check to time-of-use errors as security flaws that occur when a system checks a condition and then uses it without re-verifying that the condition has not changed. In the context of crossplane-runtime, the ImageConfig component relies on external references to determine how to fetch or validate container images. If an adversary can influence these references through API manipulation or by exploiting concurrent access patterns within the cluster, they may bypass security controls designed to prevent the execution of untrusted code. The attack vector is remote, meaning that a threat actor with network access to the Crossplane control plane could potentially exploit this race condition without requiring local shell access or prior authentication privileges beyond what is needed to trigger the vulnerable function calls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation; it threatens the fundamental trust model of infrastructure-as-code deployments managed by Crossplane. If an attacker successfully exploits this TOCTOU flaw, they could inject malicious container images into workloads provisioned or updated by Crossplane resources. This could lead to data exfiltration, lateral movement within the cluster, or complete compromise of the underlying nodes hosting these containers. The severity is compounded by the fact that many organizations rely on Crossplane for automated provisioning of cloud and Kubernetes resources, making this a high-value target for attackers seeking persistent access or supply chain compromise.
To mitigate this risk, immediate action is required to upgrade the crossplane-runtime component to patched versions 2.2.3, 2.3.3, or later stable releases such as 2.4.0-rc.1 and beyond. The specific patch addressing this issue is identified by commit hash bee99c6cd6ca81878acca2940a2f0a02169fc208, which implements stricter synchronization mechanisms to ensure that image references are validated immediately prior to use rather than relying on earlier checks. Organizations should also review their CI/CD pipelines and deployment scripts to ensure they reference the correct patched versions of crossplane-runtime dependencies. Additionally, implementing runtime security monitoring tools can help detect anomalous container pulls or configuration changes that might indicate exploitation attempts while patching efforts are underway. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to supply chain compromise and unauthorized access via race conditions, emphasizing the need for rigorous dependency management in cloud-native environments.