CVE-2026-34984
6.5 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2026-34984 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting external-secrets external_secrets_operator. It was published on April 14, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
External Secrets Operator reads information from a third-party service and automatically injects the values as Kubernetes Secrets. Versions 2.2.0 and below contain a vulnerability in runtime/template/v2/template.go where the v2 template engine removes env and expandenv from Sprig's TxtFuncMap() but leaves the getHostByName function accessible to user-controlled templates. Since ESO executes templates within the controller process, an attacker who can create or update templated ExternalSecret resources can invoke controller-side DNS lookups using secret-derived values. This creates a DNS exfiltration primitive, allowing fetched secret material to be leaked via DNS queries without requiring direct outbound network access from the attacker's workload. The impact is a confidentiality issue, particularly in environments where untrusted or lower-trust users can author templated ExternalSecret resources and the controller has DNS resolution capability. This issue has been fixed in version 2.3
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from external-secrets. Update external_secrets_operator to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| external-secrets | external_secrets_operator | >= 0, < 2.3.0 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-34984?
CVE-2026-34984 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting external-secrets external_secrets_operator. It was published on April 14, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2026-34984?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-34984?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from external-secrets. Update external_secrets_operator to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-34984?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2026-34984 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
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