CVE-2026-55997

Downstream cluster takeover via plaintext registration tokens

Published Aug 5, 2026 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Cleartext credential storage in Rancher 2.13.0 through 2.13.7 and 2.14.0 through 2.14.3 allows local users to seize downstream clusters. ClusterRegistrationToken objects retain nonexpiring tokens in plaintext status.Token fields, while v2prov writes CATTLE_TOKEN into /usr/local/custom_script/install.sh with mode 0644. A cluster administrator with API or etcd access, a party holding copied automation, or a non-root process on a provisioned node can reuse a token to register a control-plane or etcd node and gain full downstream-cluster control.

CVSS severity8.8
High
EPSS probability0.08%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Cleartext credential storage in Rancher 2.13.0 through 2.13.7 and 2.14.0 through 2.14.3 allows local users to seize downstream clusters. ClusterRegistrationToken objects retain nonexpiring tokens in plaintext status.Token fields, while v2prov writes CATTLE_TOKEN into /usr/local/custom_script/install.sh with mode 0644. A cluster administrator with API or etcd access, a party holding copied automation, or a non-root process on a provisioned node can reuse a token to register a control-plane or etcd node and gain full downstream-cluster control.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-55997
Published
Aug 5, 2026
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
Rancher
Product
Rancher
Classifications
CWE-732, CWE-522, CWE-312, T1550.001, T1552.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 5, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=2.13.0 <2.13.8
  2. Affected versionversion=2.14.0 <2.14.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Rancher · Rancherversion=2.13.0 <2.13.8; version=2.14.0 <2.14.4

Published CVSS scores

8.8SUSECVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-732Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
CWE-522Insufficiently Protected Credentials
CWE-312Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
T1550.001Application Access Token
T1552.001Credentials In Files

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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