# CVE-2026-47701: OpenTelemetry Operator: ServiceMonitor bearerTokenFile reads arbitrary local file and sends contents as bearer auth

> A tenant can read arbitrary files from the Collector pod, including service account tokens, by configuring a ServiceMonitor with a malicious bearerTokenFile path.

- **Severity:** High 7.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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:** Yes
- **Published:** 14 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** CLEANSTART-2026-LP17262, CLEANSTART-2026-WT37658, ECHO-346c-c9be-1f82, GHSA-cxh2-4639-vmc5, GO-2026-5339, MINI-26xh-hjcx-5g9h, MINI-72fx-h2g4-mj4w, MINI-mvp3-9rxx-5gcm, MINI-pphx-346g-j59h

## What is CVE-2026-47701?

CVE-2026-47701 is a high-severity vulnerability in open-telemetry opentelemetry-operator, published on 14 Sep 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The OpenTelemetry Operator is a Kubernetes Operator for the OpenTelemetry Collector. Prior to 0.152.0, cmd/otel-allocator TargetAllocator instances with targetAllocator.prometheusCR.enabled set to true preserve a selected ServiceMonitor endpoint's bearerTokenFile value as HTTPClientConfig.Authorization.CredentialsFile. A tenant who can create or update a ServiceMonitor matched by serviceMonitorSelector and serviceMonitorNamespaceSelector can point bearerTokenFile at a file in the Collector pod, including /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token, and direct scraping to a tenant-controlled endpoint. The Collector reads that file at scrape time and sends its contents as bearer authorization on every scrape interval. Exploitation also requires the Collector service-account token or another sensitive file to be mounted and the Collector to reach the chosen target. The DenyFSAccessThroughSMs control was absent, allowing disclosure of the Collector's service-account JWT or other mounted files, and resulting Kubernetes API impact is limited by the Collector service account's permissions. This issue is fixed in version 0.152.0.

Weakness: CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-47701?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator` | Go | All versions | 0.152.0 |
| `github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator` | Go | All versions | 0.152.0 |
| `github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator` | Go | All versions | 0.152.0 |

## How do I fix CVE-2026-47701?

Upgrade github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator to 0.152.0 or later.

## Is CVE-2026-47701 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-47701 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-47701 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-47701 is a high-severity vulnerability in open-telemetry opentelemetry-operator, published on 14 Sep 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-2026-47701 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.152.0
- github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.152.0
- github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.152.0

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-2026-47701/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-47701/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-47701
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-47701
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-47701

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-47701/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.