November 14, 2026

CVE Watchtower

CVE-2026-19706Missing Authentication for Critical Function

NVDCVSS scored by secalert@redhat.com

Vulnerability Summary

During ABI bootstrap, the bootstrap node's approve-csr.service approves and signs every CSR without identity validation.

An attacker on the install network can retrieve the unauthenticated Ignition file (ports 22623/22624), extract a limited kubeconfig, submit a CSR for CN=system:admin, receive the signed certificate, and gain full cluster-admin access.

Exploitable only during the narrow bootstrap window.
Severity Level
HIGH(8.3)
Published Date
Nov 9, 2026
Last Modified
Nov 12, 2026
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation yet
EPSS Score (30-Day)
0.13%Probability
Root Weakness (CWE)
CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function β†—
The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.
CVSS v3.1 Base Metrics — Score 8.3 (HIGH)
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack VectorAdjacent
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

Affected & Patched Versions

Affected Versions
Not provided by NVD for this CVE.
Patched Versions
No patched version published yet
Until a fix ships, reduce exposure:
  • Restrict access to the affected service or interface to trusted networks.
  • Disable the affected feature if you do not need it.
  • Watch the vendor advisory for a firmware or software update.

What to do

Plan remediation soon. No exploitation is confirmed yet, but the severity is high.

  1. Check whether you run the affected product and which version.
  2. No patched version is listed yet. Limit access to the affected service to trusted networks, and disable the feature if you can.
  3. Subscribe to the vendor advisory so you learn when a fix ships.

Timeline

  • Nov 9, 2026Published
  • Nov 12, 2026Record last modified

Score, severity and exploitation changes are tracked from the day Watchtower started logging them.

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External References

Data last checked: Nov 14, 2026 00:39 UTC