CVE-2026-18942 in OpenShift AI
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2026
A flaw was found in the Feast operator. A malicious tenant could inject arbitrary code into their feature repository. This code would be executed by an automated process with elevated privileges, allowing the tenant to steal sensitive credentials. This could lead to a direct escalation of privileges, granting the tenant administrative control over the Kubernetes cluster.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in the Feast operator ecosystem that enables privilege escalation through code injection attacks. The flaw exists within the feature repository management system where tenants can submit code that gets executed by automated processes with elevated privileges. This creates a severe attack surface where malicious actors can exploit the system to gain unauthorized access to sensitive credentials and administrative controls over the underlying Kubernetes infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the Feast operator's code execution pipeline. When tenants submit feature repository code, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the inputs before executing them in privileged contexts. This allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that can execute with the same elevated privileges as the automated processes, typically running with cluster-admin permissions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-94 - Improper Control of Generation of Code and CWE-74 - Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component, both of which relate to code injection and execution flaws.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is devastating for organizations relying on Feast operator for machine learning feature management. A single compromised tenant can escalate privileges to cluster-admin level access, potentially compromising the entire Kubernetes environment. Attackers could extract sensitive credentials from the cluster, modify or delete critical resources, and establish persistent backdoors. This scenario directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 - Valid Accounts and T1543 - Create or Modify System Process, as the malicious tenant leverages legitimate system processes to gain elevated privileges and maintain access.
The exploitation pathway begins with a malicious tenant submitting crafted code through the feature repository interface, followed by automated execution of that code with elevated privileges. The system's lack of proper sandboxing or privilege separation enables the injected code to perform administrative actions within the cluster. Organizations should implement strict input validation, privilege separation, and code isolation mechanisms to prevent such scenarios. Regular security audits, least-privilege access controls, and monitoring of automated processes are essential defensive measures against this class of vulnerability.
This vulnerability highlights the importance of secure multi-tenancy in cloud-native environments where proper isolation between tenant workloads is critical for maintaining system integrity. The Feast operator's design must include robust input validation mechanisms, privilege separation, and secure execution environments to prevent unauthorized code execution. Organizations should also implement comprehensive monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous behavior patterns indicative of privilege escalation attempts. The security implications extend beyond immediate credential theft to potential complete cluster compromise, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in production environments where multiple tenants share the same infrastructure resources.