# CVE-2026-122314: Kyverno unchecked type assertion in variable substitution

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-122314-kyverno-before-1-19-2-contains-an-unchecked-type-assertion-in  
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-2026-122314 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.5 · Published 2026-11-05

Kyverno is a policy engine that validates Kubernetes resources before they are admitted to a cluster. An attacker who can submit resources to the cluster can crash the policy engine by submitting resources with non-string fields referenced by shallow substitution syntax ({{- variable }}), causing a denial of service and potentially bypassing policies configured with failurePolicy Ignore.

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

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-122314 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-122314 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-122314?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.5, published 5 November 2026.

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

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-122314?** 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-2026-122314 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-122314?** 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

An unchecked type assertion in the variable-substitution engine (vars.go:370) forces substituted values to string without verifying the type first, causing a Go panic when non-string fields (integer, boolean, object, or array) are used with shallow substitution syntax. The vulnerability is reachable when a policy uses {{- variable }} syntax on a resource field whose value is not a string. Two similar unchecked assertions exist in apiCall.go:134 and imagedata.go:103. Attack requires only the ability to submit a matching resource to the cluster.

## Affected products

- Kyverno Kyverno before 1.19.2

## Timeline

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

## References

- [https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-x4xq-p8g4-6fwg](https://github.com/kyverno/kyverno/security/advisories/GHSA-x4xq-p8g4-6fwg)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/kyverno-before-1.19.2-denial-of-service-via-shallow-variable-substitution-panic](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/kyverno-before-1.19.2-denial-of-service-via-shallow-variable-substitution-panic)

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- [Kyverno authorization bypass in generate rule validation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124441-kyverno-before-1-19-2-contains-an-authorization-bypass)
- [Kyverno apiCall authorization bypass in namespace clamp](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-124440-kyverno-from-1-19-1-before-1-19-2-contains-an-authorization)
- [Kyverno unbounded decompression in notary signature fetch](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-122323-kyverno-from-1-11-0-before-1-19-2-contains-an-unbounded)
- [Kyverno verifyImages signature verification bypass via cache](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-122321-kyverno-1-18-0-before-1-19-2-contains-a-signature-verification)
- [Kyverno missing authorization in generate.clone namespace](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-122320-kyverno-before-1-19-2-contains-a-missing-authorization)