CVE-2025-68476 KEDA has Arbitrary File Read via Insufficient Path Validation in HashiCorp Vault Service Account Credential
An attacker with TriggerAuthentication permissions can read arbitrary files from the node filesystem via insufficient path validation in KEDA's Vault integration.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2025-68476?
CVE-2025-68476 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in kedacore keda, published on 22 Dec 2025. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Official description
KEDA is a Kubernetes-based Event Driven Autoscaling component. Prior to versions 2.17.3 and 2.18.3, an Arbitrary File Read vulnerability has been identified in KEDA, potentially affecting any KEDA resource that uses TriggerAuthentication to configure HashiCorp Vault authentication. The vulnerability stems from an incorrect or insufficient path validation when loading the Service Account Token specified in spec.hashiCorpVault.credential.serviceAccount. An attacker with permissions to create or modify a TriggerAuthentication resource can exfiltrate the content of any file from the node's filesystem (where the KEDA pod resides) by directing the file's content to a server under their control, as part of the Vault authentication request. The potential impact includes the exfiltration of sensitive system information, such as secrets, keys, or the content of files like /etc/passwd. This issue has been patched in versions 2.17.3 and 2.18.3.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68476?
6 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 and github.com/kedacore/keda.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 Go | All versions | 2.17.3, 2.18.3 |
github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 Go | All versions | 2.17.3 |
github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 Go | All versions | 2.17.3 |
github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 Go | From 2.18.0 | 2.18.3 |
github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 Go | From 2.18.0 | 2.18.3 |
github.com/kedacore/keda Go | All versions | None |
How do I fix CVE-2025-68476?
Upgrade github.com/kedacore/keda/v2 to a fixed version for your release line: 2.17.3 or 2.18.3.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2025-68476 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68476 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as AZL-72868, CLEANSTART-2026-LW02522, ECHO-3762-3abe-027a, GHSA-c4p6-qg4m-9jmr, GO-2025-4257, MINI-8qf9-p96q-fv4h and 1 more.