Red Hat's Windows Machine Config Operator skips SSH host-key checks, letting adjacent attackers capture node bootstrap credentials
Status: UPDATED
| Advisory ID: CVE-2026-54100
Key Details
| CVE | CVE-2026-54100 |
| CVSS Score / Version | 8.3 (High) / CVSS v3.1 |
| CVSS Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| CVSS Prose | attack vector is adjacent; attack complexity is high; privileges required is none; user interaction is none; scope is changed; confidentiality impact is high; integrity impact is high; availability impact is high. |
| Affected products | Red Hat openshift_container_platform and Red Hat windows_machine_config_operator |
| Classified as | CWE-295 (Improper Certificate Validation) |
| Exploitation prediction (EPSS) | 0.30% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (23% percentile) -- FIRST.org's EPSS model. |
Affected Products, Subsystems & Sectors
| Subsystems | General OT |
| Sectors | Multiple |
What to Know
A flaw was found in the Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform. WMCO establishes SSH connections to Windows worker nodes without verifying the remote server host key. An adjacent-network attacker who can intercept or redirect WMCO's SSH session can capture WICD and kubelet bootstrap credentials transferred during node configuration, enabling compromise of Windows node identities in the cluster.
What to Do
Monitor Red Hat's web page for any future patch releases. See vendor advisory link below.
References