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CVE Record

CVE-2026-40938: Tekton Pipelines: Git Resolver Unsanitized Revision Parameter Enables git Argument Injection Leading to RCE

Tekton Pipelines project provides k8s-style resources for declaring CI/CD-style pipelines. Starting in version 1.0.0 and prior to versions 1.0.2, 1.3.4, 1.6.2, 1.9.3, and 1.11.1, the git resolver's revision parameter is passed directly as a positional argument to git fetch without any validation that it does not begin with a - character. Because git parses flags from mixed positional arguments, an attacker can inject arbitrary git fetch flags such as --upload-pack=<binary>. Combined with the validateRepoURL function explicitly permitting URLs that begin with / (local filesystem paths), a tenant who can submit ResolutionRequest objects can chain these two behaviors to execute an arbitrary binary on the resolver pod. The tekton-pipelines-resolvers ServiceAccount holds cluster-wide get/list/watch on all Secrets, so code execution on the resolver pod enables full cluster-wide secret exfiltration. Versions 1.0.2, 1.3.4, 1.6.2, 1.9.3, and 1.11.1 fix the issue.

HighCVSS 8.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This flaw affects Tekton Pipelines git resolver in specific 1.x releases. A low-privileged tenant who can submit ResolutionRequest objects could turn a resolver request into code execution inside the resolver pod, potentially exposing Kubernetes Secrets across the cluster.

Executive priority

Treat as urgent for multi-tenant Tekton environments because impact can extend from CI/CD request handling to cluster-wide secret exposure. Prioritize patching over compensating controls.

Technical view

The git resolver passes the revision parameter to git fetch without rejecting values parsed as options. The advisory describes chaining this with permitted local filesystem repository paths to execute a binary in the resolver pod. The resolver ServiceAccount has broad Secrets read permissions, increasing impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in Kubernetes clusters running affected Tekton Pipelines versions with git resolver available to tenants or automation. Multi-tenant CI/CD clusters are the highest concern. Internet exposure is not established by the provided sources.

Exploitation context

The CVSS vector requires low privileges, no user interaction, and high complexity. The provided bundle states KEV is false and gives no cited evidence of active exploitation. Successful abuse could compromise cluster-wide Secrets through resolver pod execution.

Researcher notes

The source evidence supports argument injection in git resolver and high cluster impact through resolver ServiceAccount permissions. Do not assume exploit-in-the-wild status; KEV is false in the provided bundle.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Tekton Pipelines to 1.0.2, 1.3.4, 1.6.2, 1.9.3, 1.11.1, or later.
  • Apply relevant Red Hat advisories where Tekton is supplied by Red Hat products.
  • Restrict who can submit ResolutionRequest objects until patched.
  • Review tekton-pipelines-resolvers ServiceAccount permissions for unnecessary cluster-wide Secrets access.
  • Check vendor guidance before applying workaround changes not named in advisories.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Tekton Pipelines versions across clusters.
  • Confirm whether installed versions match the affected ranges in the advisory.
  • Identify users, service accounts, or controllers allowed to create ResolutionRequest objects.
  • Check whether the git resolver is installed and reachable by tenant workloads.
  • Review resolver pod activity and Kubernetes audit logs for unusual Secret reads.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
6

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · medium confidence lookup

CWE-88: Command execution behavior lookup

Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

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description · low confidence lookup

Execution behavior lookup

The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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description · low confidence lookup

Credential and access behavior lookup

The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2026-40938 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
8.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

2CVSS vectors
5Timeline events
2ADP providers
11Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: pocAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: total

CVSS vector scores

2 official scores

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
8.5CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H1.86redhat-SADP
7.5CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.65.9GitHub_M

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

8.5High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2026-40938Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. ADP timelineredhat-SADP

    Made public.

  3. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  4. ADP timelineredhat-SADP

    Reported to Red Hat.

  5. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
redhat-SADPgithub.com/tektoncd/pipeline: Tekton Pipelines: Arbitrary code execution and secret exfiltration via malicious git commands
other:Red Hat severity ratingcvssV3_1
  • 2026-04-21T21:02:16.557Z: Reported to Red Hat.
  • 2026-04-21T20:45:24.658Z: Made public.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
tektoncdpipeline>= 1.0.0, < 1.0.2, >= 1.2.0, < 1.3.4, >= 1.4.0, < 1.6.2, >= 1.7.0, < 1.9.3, >= 1.10.0, < 1.11.1Listed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-88

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-88 · source CWE mapping

Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')

Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs