CVE-2026-75485 in Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes
Summary
by MITRE • 08/18/2026
A flaw was found in the must-gather component of Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes. The cluster Proxy object is dumped in raw form, bypassing the oc inspect redaction that would normally sanitize sensitive fields. This exposes proxy basic-auth credentials in the must-gather archive, potentially disclosing sensitive authentication information to anyone with access to the archive.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2026
The vulnerability identified within Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes centers on a critical oversight in the data collection mechanisms of its must-gather utility. The must-gather tool is designed to aggregate diagnostic information from a cluster, facilitating troubleshooting and support by system administrators and vendor engineers. However, during this aggregation process, the component responsible for capturing configuration details fails to apply standard sanitization protocols specifically intended for sensitive fields. This failure results in the raw dumping of the cluster Proxy object into the generated archive without filtering out authentication credentials embedded within it.
The technical root cause lies in the bypassing of the oc inspect redaction logic that is typically applied when retrieving Kubernetes resource specifications. Normally, tools like oc inspect are configured to recognize and mask sensitive data such as passwords, tokens, or keys before they are written to output files or displayed on a console. In this specific instance, the must-gather component retrieves the Proxy object in its raw form directly from the API server or internal storage mechanisms without invoking these protective redaction routines. Consequently, any basic-auth credentials configured for proxy access within that object remain visible and unencrypted in the final archive file.
The operational impact of this flaw is significant due to the nature of the exposed data. Basic authentication credentials consist of usernames and passwords encoded in base64 format, which can be trivially decoded by anyone with read access to the must-gather archive. If an attacker or unauthorized individual gains access to these diagnostic files, they obtain valid administrative credentials for the cluster proxy. This disclosure compromises the confidentiality integrity of the system's authentication mechanisms and potentially allows lateral movement within the network if those credentials are reused across other services or systems managed by the cluster management platform.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials, as it involves the exposure of static authentication data that should be protected during transit and storage in diagnostic logs. Furthermore, from a threat modeling perspective consistent with MITRE ATT&CK techniques, this flaw facilitates Credential Access through Log or Diagnostic Data Collection (T1505.003). Attackers often target log files and diagnostic archives because they are frequently backed up to less secure locations or shared externally for support purposes without adequate sanitization checks.
To mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, immediate action is required from system administrators managing Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management instances. The primary mitigation involves applying the vendor-provided patch that updates the must-gather component to correctly invoke redaction filters when processing Proxy objects. Until patches are applied, organizations should restrict access to any existing or future must-gather archives rigorously and avoid sharing them with untrusted third parties without manual verification of their contents. Additionally implementing strict file permissions on diagnostic directories and auditing who has access to these sensitive data stores can help reduce the attack surface while waiting for a permanent software fix.