Logging operator has Fluentd configuration injection that allows remote code execution

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

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

EPSS

• CVE-2026-54680: 0.78% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 56.13 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Summary The Fluentd configuration renderer in Logging operator writes strings from CRDs such as Flow directly into fluent.conf without escaping them. As a result, a user who can create Flow resources can inject Fluentd configuration by providing values that contain newlines. In the confirmed path, a value in recordtransformer.records can close the current <record / <filter block and add a new <match block. By specifying Fluentd's core @type exec plugin in that injected block, an attacker can execute arbitrary commands inside the Fluentd aggregator. Details The issue is in FluentRender in pkg/sdk/logging/model/render/fluent.go. https://github.com/kube-logging/logging-operator/blob/98275d2984aa8d731c4c975b8006aa433fc7bafa/pkg/sdk/logging/model/render/fluent.go#L60-L87 Each parameter is rendered as key value, but values are not quoted, and newlines or characters such as < and are not rejected. In addition, indentedf builds the string with fmt.Sprintf and then splits it on \n, so…

Published by the source

29 Jul 2026, 17:01 UTC

Last modified by the source

18 Aug 2026, 15:00 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:27 UTC

1. Revision 3 · amended · 26 Oct 2026

   Amended from ghsa record GHSA-mjqf-28ph-426h

2. Revision 2 · amended · 24 Oct 2026

   Amended from osv record GO-2026-6142

3. Revision 1 · created · 24 Oct 2026

   Published from osv record GHSA-mjqf-28ph-426h

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2026-54680

Advisory: Logging operator has Fluentd configuration injection that allows remote code execution
IDs: CVE-2026-54680, GHSA-mjqf-28ph-426h
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2026-54680 (revision 3, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:27 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Critical (CVSS 9.9)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: github.com/kube-logging/logging-operator 0.0.0-20260608145523-cf437d7f1e05. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/kube-logging/logging-operator: affected < 0.0.0-20260608145523-cf437d7f1e05; fixed in 0.0.0-20260608145523-cf437d7f1e05

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Go github.com/kube-logging/logging-operator: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on github.com/kube-logging/logging-operator.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-mjqf-28ph-426h (OSV record GHSA-mjqf-28ph-426h lists affected ranges: Go github.com/kube-logging/logging-operator >=0 <0.0.0-20260608145523-cf437d7f1e05 (fixed))
- Verified: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GO-2026-6142 (OSV record GO-2026-6142 lists affected ranges: Go github.com/kube-logging/logging-operator >=0 <0.0.0-20260608145523-cf437d7f1e05 (fixed))
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mjqf-28ph-426h (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-mjqf-28ph-426h lists affected ranges: Go github.com/kube-logging/logging-operator >=0 <0.0.0-20260608145523-cf437d7f1e05)

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