Incorrect AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-863

CVE-2026-22806

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
vCluster Platform provides a Kubernetes platform for managing virtual clusters, multi-tenancy, and cluster sharing. Prior to versions 4.6.0, 4.5.4, 4.4.2, and 4.3.10, when an access key is created with a limited scope, the scope can be bypassed to access resources outside of it. However, the user still cannot access resources beyond what is accessible to the owner of the access key. Versions 4.6.0, 4.5.4, 4.4.2, and 4.3.10 fix the vulnerability. Some other mitigations are available. Users can limit exposure by reviewing access keys which are scoped and ensuring any users with access to them have appropriate permissions set. Creating automation users with very limited permissions and using access keys for these automation users can be used as a temporary workaround where upgrading is not immediately possible but scoped access keys are needed.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

vCluster Platform versions prior to 4.6.0, 4.5.4, 4.4.2, and 4.3.10 contain an access key scope bypass vulnerability where limited-scoped access keys can be circumvented to access resources outside their intended scope, though users remain constrained to the owner’s accessible resources.

MitigationUpgrade vCluster Platform to version 4.6.0, 4.5.4, 4.4.2, or 4.3.10. As a temporary workaround, review all scoped access keys and ensure users have appropriate permissions; create automation users with minimal permissions.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed vCluster Platform version
    Run 'vclusterctl version' or check the UI under Settings > About. In Kubernetes, check the deployment image tag: 'kubectl get deployment -n vcluster-platform -o jsonpath={.spec.template.spec.containers[0].image}'
    Affected if version is prior to 4.3.10, 4.4.x prior to 4.4.2, 4.5.x prior to 4.5.4, or 4.6.x prior to 4.6.0
  2. Verify access key authentication is in use
    In the vCluster Platform UI, navigate to Settings > Access Keys, or query the API: 'curl -k https://<vcluster-url>/api/apikeys' with admin credentials
    Affected if any access keys exist in the system regardless of scope definition
  3. Identify scoped access keys
    Review each access key's configured scope in the UI under Settings > Access Keys > [select key] > Scope. Look for keys with non-default scope settings such as 'cluster', 'namespace', or 'resource' restrictions
    Affected if scoped access keys exist with restrictions on clusters, namespaces, or resource types
  4. Confirm scope enforcement behavior
    Test a scoped access key by attempting to access resources outside its defined scope. For example, use the key to query a namespace or cluster not listed in its scope and observe if access is granted when it should be denied
    Affected if limited-scoped keys can access resources outside their configured scope, demonstrating the bypass

You are affected if your vCluster Platform version is prior to 4.6.0 (or 4.5.4, 4.4.2, 4.3.10) AND you have scoped access keys in use that may bypass their intended restrictions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade vCluster Platform to version 4.6.0, 4.5.4, 4.4.2, or 4.3.10. As a temporary workaround, review all scoped access keys and ensure users have appropriate permissions; create automation users with minimal permissions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to vCluster Platform version 4.6.0 (or 4.5.4/4.4.2/4.3.10 depending on your compatibility requirements)

  1. 1. Identify the current vCluster Platform version in use by checking the platform's UI or running `vcluster platform version`
  2. 2. If running a version prior to 4.3.10, 4.4.2, 4.5.4, or 4.6.0, plan an upgrade to one of these fixed versions
  3. 3. Before upgrading, review all existing access keys in the platform under Settings > Access Keys
  4. 4. Audit users who have access to scoped access keys and verify their permissions are appropriate
  5. 5. Consider creating dedicated automation users with minimal required permissions for any automated workflows using access keys
  6. 6. Perform the upgrade following standard vCluster Platform upgrade procedures
  7. 7. After upgrade, create new access keys with scoped permissions to verify the fix works correctly
  8. 8. Monitor for any unauthorized access attempts and review audit logs
Caveat Review vCluster Platform release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and the target fixed version before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-22806 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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