CVE-2026-25518

5.9 MEDIUM
Published: February 04, 2026 Modified: February 27, 2026
View on NVD

Description

cert-manager adds certificates and certificate issuers as resource types in Kubernetes clusters, and simplifies the process of obtaining, renewing and using those certificates. In versions from 1.18.0 to before 1.18.5 and from 1.19.0 to before 1.19.3, the cert-manager-controller performs DNS lookups during ACME DNS-01 processing (for zone discovery and propagation self-checks). By default, these lookups use standard unencrypted DNS. An attacker who can intercept and modify DNS traffic from the cert-manager-controller pod can insert a crafted entry into cert-manager's DNS cache. Accessing this entry will trigger a panic, resulting in denial‑of‑service (DoS) of the cert-manager controller. The issue can also be exploited if the authoritative DNS server for the domain being validated is controlled by a malicious actor. This issue has been patched in versions 1.18.5 and 1.19.3.

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CVSS v3.x Details

0.0 Low Medium High Critical 10.0
Vector String
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Patch Vendor Advisory Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8467
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Issue Tracking Patch
https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8468
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Issue Tracking Patch
https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/pull/8469
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Issue Tracking Patch
https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/security/advisories/GHSA-gx3x-vq4p-mhhv
Source: security-advisories@github.com
Mitigation Patch Vendor Advisory

7 reference(s) from NVD

Quick Stats

CVSS v3 Score
5.9 / 10.0
EPSS (Exploit Probability)
0.0%
4th percentile
Exploitation Status
Not in CISA KEV

Weaknesses (CWE)

Affected Vendors

cert-manager