Cluster-wide configuration DoS via CA-certificate ID collision
Published Jul 29, 2026 · Updated Jul 29, 2026
Denial of service in Kong Operator before 2.0.11, 2.1.0 through 2.1.8, and 2.2.0 through 2.2.2 allows remote authenticated users to halt updates. The embedded KIC selects labeled CA-certificate Secrets across all watched namespaces and uses attacker-controlled Secret data as the certificate ID, allowing duplicate primary keys into one configuration document. Kong Gateway rejects that document entirely, so exploitation requires Secret-creation rights in a watched namespace and an on-prem ControlPlane using an all-namespace watch.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in Kong Operator before 2.0.11, 2.1.0 through 2.1.8, and 2.2.0 through 2.2.2 allows remote authenticated users to halt updates. The embedded KIC selects labeled CA-certificate Secrets across all watched namespaces and uses attacker-controlled Secret data as the certificate ID, allowing duplicate primary keys into one configuration document. Kong Gateway rejects that document entirely, so exploitation requires Secret-creation rights in a watched namespace and an on-prem ControlPlane using an all-namespace watch.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-16543
- Published
- Jul 29, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 29, 2026
- Vendor
- Kong Inc.
- Product
- Kong Operator
- Classifications
- CWE-862, CWE-400, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 29, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 29, 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 <2.0.11
- Affected versionversion=2.1.0 <2.1.9
- Affected versionversion=2.2.0 <2.2.3
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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