A flaw was found in the AAP Controller's HashiCorp Vault credential plugin. The kubernetes_auth() function in awx_plugins/credentials/hashivault.py reads the controller pod's Kubernetes service account token and sends it to an attacker-controlled URL when a HashiCorp Vault Secret Lookup credential with kubernetes_role authentication is tested. An authenticated attacker with credential-creation privileges can exfiltrate the service account token, gaining Kubernetes API access to the control plane namespaces with full pod CRUD and secret read permissions, including database credentials and the Django SECRET_KEY.

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Fixes

Solution

No solution given by the vendor.


Workaround

The following practices would help for avoiding exposure and mitigate this flaw: - Restrict network egress from controller pods using Kubernetes NetworkPolicy to prevent outbound connections to untrusted destinations. Only allow connections to known Vault server endpoints. - Review and restrict the RBAC permissions of the automation-controller service account to follow the principle of least privilege. Remove unnecessary secret read access. - In AAP Cloud environments, audit credential-creation activity for suspicious HashiCorp Vault credentials with external or unusual URLs. - Monitor Kubernetes audit logs for unexpected API calls using the automation-controller service account, particularly secret reads and pod operations from EE pods. - Rotate the automation-controller service account token if unauthorized access is suspected. - Consider restricting the "create credential" privilege to only trusted administrators until the fix is available.

History

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in the AAP Controller's HashiCorp Vault credential plugin. The kubernetes_auth() function in awx_plugins/credentials/hashivault.py reads the controller pod's Kubernetes service account token and sends it to an attacker-controlled URL when a HashiCorp Vault Secret Lookup credential with kubernetes_role authentication is tested. An authenticated attacker with credential-creation privileges can exfiltrate the service account token, gaining Kubernetes API access to the control plane namespaces with full pod CRUD and secret read permissions, including database credentials and the Django SECRET_KEY.
Title Automation-controller: automation-controller: kubernetes service account token exfiltration via hashicorp vault credential ssrf
First Time appeared Redhat
Redhat ansible Automation Platform
Weaknesses CWE-918
CPEs cpe:/a:redhat:ansible_automation_platform:2
Vendors & Products Redhat
Redhat ansible Automation Platform
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 9.6, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N'}


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cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: redhat

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-18T15:50:54.646Z

Reserved: 2026-06-17T20:56:28.490Z

Link: CVE-2026-12564

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-08-18T16:17:01.917

Modified: 2026-08-18T16:17:01.917

Link: CVE-2026-12564

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-18T17:30:15Z

Weaknesses