# CVE-2026-77596: Kubeflow Pipelines authorization bypass in pipeline upload

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-77596-kubeflow-pipelines-enables-users-to-build-and-deploy-portable  
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-2026-77596 · Severity: critical · CVSS 9.6 · Published 2026-11-05

Kubeflow Pipelines is an open-source platform for building and deploying machine learning workflows. A vulnerability in versions prior to 2.18.0 allows low-privilege users or unauthenticated attackers to upload malicious pipeline specifications that can be executed under other tenants' service accounts. An attacker could hijack shared pipelines or inject malicious code into existing pipelines, leading to lateral movement, data theft, or privilege escalation within a Kubernetes cluster.

Technologies: [github.com/kubeflow/pipelines (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-kubeflow-pipelines), [Kubeflow Pipelines](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/kubeflow-pipelines). Vendors: [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go), [Kubeflow](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/kubeflow).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-77596 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-77596 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-77596?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 9.6, published 5 November 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/kubeflow/pipelines (Go) < 0.0.0-20260909234119-62516d8c525f, SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=0.0.0-20260909234119-62516d8c525f; Kubeflow Pipelines prior to 2.18.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-77596?** Yes. github.com/kubeflow/pipelines (Go): upgrade to 0.0.0-20260909234119-62516d8c525f or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-77596 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-77596?** Check whether you run github.com/kubeflow/pipelines (Go) or Kubeflow Pipelines 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/kubeflow/pipelines (Go): upgrade to 0.0.0-20260909234119-62516d8c525f or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/kubeflow/pipelines@v0.0.0-20260909234119-62516d8c525f
  ```


## Technical details

The multi-user HTTP endpoints POST /apis/v2beta1/pipelines/upload and POST /apis/v2beta1/pipelines/upload_version skip authorization checks (SubjectAccessReview) when the target namespace is empty, which is the default when REQUIRE_NAMESPACE_FOR_PIPELINES is false. An attacker can exploit this to create shared pipelines or inject versions into existing ones without write permissions. If an unpinned recurring run follows the latest version, the injected malicious specification executes in another tenant's namespace under that workload's service account. The fix remaps empty namespaces to the KFP system namespace and enforces authorization checks consistently with the gRPC API.

## Affected products

- Kubeflow Pipelines prior to 2.18.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2026-77596
- GHSA-rjr3-43j3-4q8g

## Timeline

- 2026-11-05: disclosed
- 2026-09-09: patched: Fix committed and merged as PR #14352

## References

- [https://github.com/kubeflow/pipelines/commit/62516d8c525f146b754cb515cf441dd0290ad841](https://github.com/kubeflow/pipelines/commit/62516d8c525f146b754cb515cf441dd0290ad841)
- [https://github.com/kubeflow/pipelines/pull/14352](https://github.com/kubeflow/pipelines/pull/14352)

## Related threats

- [Kubeflow Pipelines authorization bypass in shared pipelines](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-88984-kubeflow-pipelines-enables-users-to-build-and-deploy-portable)
- [Kubeflow Pipelines cross-tenant cache isolation in execution cache](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-88982-kubeflow-pipelines-enables-users-to-build-and-deploy-portable)
- [Kubeflow Pipelines arbitrary endpoint connection in artifact download](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-88981-kubeflow-pipelines-enables-users-to-build-and-deploy-portable)
- [Kubeflow Pipelines reflected XSS in pod query endpoints](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-88986-kubeflow-pipelines-enables-users-to-build-and-deploy-portable)
- [Kubeflow Pipelines SQL injection in pageToken parameter](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-88985-kubeflow-pipelines-enables-users-to-build-and-deploy-portable)