Cluster takeover via overprivileged cluster-manager service account
Published Dec 17, 2024 · Updated Feb 25, 2026
Privilege escalation in Open Cluster Management before 0.13.0 allows attackers with worker-node access to control the Kubernetes cluster. The cluster-manager ClusterRole grants its deployment permission to create pods, letting a compromised worker obtain its token and mount other service-account tokens. Exploitation requires control of a node running cluster-manager or klusterlet; the stolen credentials permit actions with the targeted accounts' privileges.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Open Cluster Management before 0.13.0 allows attackers with worker-node access to control the Kubernetes cluster. The cluster-manager ClusterRole grants its deployment permission to create pods, letting a compromised worker obtain its token and mount other service-account tokens. Exploitation requires control of a node running cluster-manager or klusterlet; the stolen credentials permit actions with the targeted accounts' privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-9779
- Published
- Dec 17, 2024
- Updated
- Feb 25, 2026
- Vendor
- Cloud Native Computing Foundation
- Product
- Open Cluster Management
- Classifications
- CWE-266, T1528
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 17, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Feb 25, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0.12.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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