Proxy takeover via disabled TLS peer verification
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Improper certificate validation in Kong Inc. Kuma allows man-in-the-middle attackers to take over Universal mode data plane proxies. When neither --ca-cert-file nor KUMA_CONTROL_PLANE_CA_CERT is set, kuma-dp disables TLS peer verification and transmits its authentication token over the unverified HTTPS connection. Exploitation requires an on-path position and the CA-less Universal configuration; standard Kubernetes installations inject a CA and are unaffected.
Summary
What happened
Improper certificate validation in Kong Inc. Kuma allows man-in-the-middle attackers to take over Universal mode data plane proxies. When neither --ca-cert-file nor KUMA_CONTROL_PLANE_CA_CERT is set, kuma-dp disables TLS peer verification and transmits its authentication token over the unverified HTTPS connection. Exploitation requires an on-path position and the CA-less Universal configuration; standard Kubernetes installations inject a CA and are unaffected.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-52724
- Published
- Sep 15, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 15, 2026
- Vendor
- Kong Inc.
- Product
- Kuma
- Classifications
- CWE-295, T1557
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 15, 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=>= 2.10.0, < 2.11.14
- Affected versionversion=>= 2.12.0, < 2.12.11
- Affected versionversion=>= 2.13.0, < 2.13.7
- Affected versionversion=< 2.7.26
- Affected versionversion=>= 2.8.0, < 2.9.16
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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