# CVE-2026-41485: Kyverno Controller Denial of Service via forEach Mutation Panic

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-41485-kyverno-controller-denial-of-service-via-foreach-mutation-panic  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-04-24. Updated: 2026-05-11  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-41485 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.7 · Published 2026-04-24

Kyverno is a policy engine designed for cloud native platform engineering teams. Prior to versions 1.17.2 and 1.16.4, an unchecked type assertion in the `forEach` mutation handler allows any user with permission to create a `Policy` or `ClusterPolicy` to crash the cluster-wide background controller into a persistent CrashLoopBackOff. The same bug also causes the admission controller to drop connections and block all matching resource operations. The crash loop persists until the policy is deleted. The vulnerability is confined to the legacy engine, and CEL-based policies are unaffected. Versions 1.17.2 and 1.16.4 fix the issue.

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

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-41485 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-41485 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-41485?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.7, published 24 April 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/kyverno/kyverno (Go) SEMVER:introduced=1.13.0,fixed=1.16.4, SEMVER:introduced=1.13.0,fixed=1.16.4,introduced=1.17.0-rc.1,fixed=1.17.2.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-41485?** Yes. github.com/kyverno/kyverno (Go): upgrade to 1.16.4, 1.17.2 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-41485?** Check whether you run github.com/kyverno/kyverno (Go) or 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

- github.com/kyverno/kyverno (Go): upgrade to 1.16.4, 1.17.2 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/kyverno/kyverno@v1.17.2
  ```


## Affected products

- github.com/kyverno/kyverno (Go) SEMVER:introduced=1.13.0,fixed=1.16.4, SEMVER:introduced=1.13.0,fixed=1.16.4,introduced=1.17.0-rc.1,fixed=1.17.2
- Kyverno

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-41485
- GHSA-fpjq-c37h-cqcv
- GO-2026-5374

## References

- [https://api.github.com/users/thevilledev](https://api.github.com/users/thevilledev)
- [https://github.com/thevilledev](https://github.com/thevilledev)
- [https://api.github.com/users/thevilledev/gists%7B/gist_id%7D](https://api.github.com/users/thevilledev/gists%7B/gist_id%7D)
- [https://api.github.com/users/thevilledev/repos](https://api.github.com/users/thevilledev/repos)
- [https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/3088277?v=4](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/3088277?v=4)
- [https://api.github.com/users/thevilledev/events%7B/privacy%7D](https://api.github.com/users/thevilledev/events%7B/privacy%7D)

## Related threats

- [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)