# CVE-2025-55196: External Secrets Operator's Missing Namespace Restriction Allows Unauthorized Secret Access

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-55196-external-secrets-operator-s-missing-namespace-restriction-allows  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2025-08-18  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2025-55196 · Severity: medium · CVSS 4 · Published 2025-08-18

External Secrets Operator's Missing Namespace Restriction Allows Unauthorized Secret Access in github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets

Technologies: [github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-external-secrets-external-secrets). Vendors: [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2025-55196 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2025-55196 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2025-55196?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 4, published 18 August 2025.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0.15.0,fixed=0.19.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2025-55196?** Yes. github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets (Go): upgrade to 0.19.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**Am I affected by CVE-2025-55196?** Check whether you run github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets (Go) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets (Go): upgrade to 0.19.2 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets@v0.19.2
  ```


## Affected products

- github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0.15.0,fixed=0.19.2

## Identifiers

- CVE-2025-55196
- GHSA-fcxq-v2r3-cc8h
- GO-2025-3885

## Related threats

- [External Secrets Operator label enforcement bypass in webhook generator](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-26287-external-secrets-operator-label-enforcement-bypass-in-webhook)
- [External Secrets Operator namespace isolation bypass in CAProvider ConfigMap](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-42875-external-secrets-operator-namespace-isolation-bypass-in)
- [External Secrets Operator has DNS-based secret exfiltration via getHostByName in External Secrets v2 template engine](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-34984-external-secrets-operator-has-dns-based-secret-exfiltration-via)
- [External Secrets Operator authorization bypass in getSecretKey function](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-22822-external-secrets-operator-authorization-bypass-in-getsecretkey)
- [GO-2024-3126 - External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation in github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2024-45041-external-secrets-operator-vulnerable-to-privilege-escalation)