# CVE-2026-3605: Vault KVv2 Metadata and Secret Deletion Policy Bypass Denial-of-Service

> Authenticated users can delete unauthorized secrets via glob policies, causing denial of service in HashiCorp Vault.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 17 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 15 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** BIT-vault-2026-3605, GHSA-m2w4-8ggf-rj47, GO-2026-5487, MINI-6x63-w3qm-wv2w, MINI-xqc6-4w2v-rhgh

## What is CVE-2026-3605?

CVE-2026-3605 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Hashicorp Vault, published on 17 Apr 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An authenticated user with access to a kvv2 path through a policy containing a glob may be able to delete secrets they were not authorized to read or write, resulting in denial-of-service. This vulnerability did not allow a malicious user to delete secrets across namespaces, nor read any secret data. Fxed in Vault Community Edition 2.0.0 and Vault Enterprise 2.0.0, 1.21.5, 1.20.10, and 1.19.16.

Weakness: CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key), CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-3605?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/hashicorp/vault and vault. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 0.10.0 | None |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 0.10.0 to 1.21.4 | None |
| `github.com/hashicorp/vault` | Go | From 0.10.0 to 1.21.4 | None |
| `vault` | Bitnami | From 0.10.0 | 2.0.0 |

Products: Hashicorp Vault.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-3605?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-3605 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-3605 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Hashicorp Vault

- [CVE-2020-35192](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35192/): Hardcoded credentials in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-12757](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12757/): Improper Input Validation in HashiCorp Vault (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2025-6000](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-6000/): Arbitrary Remote Code Execution via Plugin Catalog Abuse (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2022-40186](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-40186/): HashiCorp Vault vulnerable to incorrect metadata access (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2022-36129](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-36129/): Missing authorization in n/a (critical 9.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-3605 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-3605 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Hashicorp Vault, published on 17 Apr 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-2026-3605 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 0.10.0; no fix listed
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 0.10.0 up to 1.21.4; no fix listed
- github.com/hashicorp/vault (Go): affected from 0.10.0 up to 1.21.4; no fix listed
- vault (Bitnami): affected from 0.10.0; fixed in 2.0.0

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-2026-3605/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-3605/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-3605
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-3605
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-3605

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-3605/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.