# CVE-2024-36540: Missing authorization in n/a

> Attackers can access sensitive data and escalate privileges by exploiting insecure permissions to obtain the service account token.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 24 Jul 2024
- **Updated:** 13 Mar 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-h9mr-jrr6-mjrf

## What is CVE-2024-36540?

CVE-2024-36540 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Jul 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Insecure permissions in external-secrets v0.9.16 allows attackers to access sensitive data and escalate privileges by obtaining the service account's token.

Weakness: CWE-277 (Insecure Inherited Permissions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-36540?

It affects 1 product.


Products: External-Secrets External Secrets Operator.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-36540?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-36540 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-36540 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-36540 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2026-22822](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-22822/): External Secrets Operator insecurely retrieves secrets through the getSecretKey templating function (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2024-45041](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-45041/): External Secrets Operator vulnerable to privilege escalation (high 8.3)
- [CVE-2026-34984](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34984/): External Secrets Operator has DNS exfiltration via getHostByName in its v2 template engine (high 7.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-36540 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-36540 is a critical missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 24 Jul 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-36540 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-36540/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-36540/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-36540
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-36540
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-36540

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-36540/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.