# CVE-2026-122313: Kyverno NamespacedMutatingPolicy privilege escalation via CEL expression

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-122313-kyverno-from-1-17-0-before-1-19-2-contains-a-privilege  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-11-05. Updated: 2026-11-05  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-122313 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.9 · Published 2026-11-05

Kyverno is a policy engine for Kubernetes clusters that controls what resources can be created and modified. Namespace-scoped tenants with the ability to create policies can exploit a flaw in the CEL expression handling to modify resources in other tenants' namespaces using the cluster-wide background controller's permissions. An attacker could gain unauthorized access to other teams' resources, modify security policies, or escalate privileges within the cluster.

Technologies: [Kyverno](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/kyverno). Vendors: [Kyverno](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/kyverno).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-122313 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-122313 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-122313?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.9, published 5 November 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Kyverno 1.17.0 before 1.19.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-122313?** Yes: fixed in 1.19.2. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-122313 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-122313?** Check whether you run Kyverno 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

- Fixed in 1.19.2

## Technical details

A NamespacedMutatingPolicy using targetMatchConstraints.expression with mutateExisting enabled allows attackers to emit literal target objects referencing resources in other namespaces. The background controller processes these targets without validating that they belong to the policy's namespace, then fetches and mutates the cross-namespace resources using its cluster-wide ServiceAccount privileges. This affects RoleBindings, Roles, NetworkPolicies, ConfigMaps, and related resources across namespace boundaries.

## Affected products

- Kyverno Kyverno 1.17.0 before 1.19.2

## Timeline

- 2026-10-21: disclosed
- 2026-11-05: advisory

## References

- [https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-f96w-622v-rqpq](https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-f96w-622v-rqpq)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/kyverno-1.17.0-before-1.19.2-cross-namespace-privilege-escalation-via-namespacedmutatingpolicy](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/kyverno-1.17.0-before-1.19.2-cross-namespace-privilege-escalation-via-namespacedmutatingpolicy)

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