# CVE-2026-16456: Odh-model-controller: odh-model-controller: cross-namespace secret read via nim account crd confused deputy

> An authenticated user can read sensitive secrets from other namespaces due to improper namespace validation in the model controller.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 11 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w7qg-jg9c-w9mm

## What is CVE-2026-16456?

CVE-2026-16456 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25, published on 10 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in the `odh-model-controller`. An authenticated user with permissions to create custom resources can exploit a vulnerability in the `loadSecret` function. This function improperly reads the Secret namespace from user-controlled input without validation. This allows an attacker to read sensitive API keys and cloud credentials from other namespaces, leading to information disclosure.

Weakness: CWE-441 (Unintended Proxy or Intermediary)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16456?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-16456?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-16456 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-16456 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16456 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-16456 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-16456 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25, published on 10 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16456 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Red Hat OpenShift AI 2.25. 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-2026-16456/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16456/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16456
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16456
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-16456

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-16456/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.