Description
External Secrets Operator reads information from a third-party service and automatically injects the values as Kubernetes Secrets. Starting in version 0.20.2 and prior to version 1.2.0, the `getSecretKey` template function, while introduced for senhasegura Devops Secrets Management (DSM) provider, has the ability to fetch secrets cross-namespaces with the roleBinding of the external-secrets controller, bypassing our security mechanisms. This function was completely removed in version 1.2.0, as everything done with that templating function can be done in a different way while respecting External Secrets Operator's safeguards As a workaround, use a policy engine such as Kubernetes, Kyverno, Kubewarden, or OPA to prevent the usage of `getSecretKey` in any ExternalSecret resource.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| external-secrets | external-secrets | >= 0.20.2, < 1.2.0 | — |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | govulncheck-vulndb | 0.0.20260723T184607-160000.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:21483-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.6 | govulncheck-vulndb | 0.0.20260205T172317-150000.1.146.1 | SUSE-SU-2026:0403-1 |
Wolfi
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfi rolling | external-secrets-operator-1.1 | No fix yet | — |
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go | github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets | >= 0.20.2, < 1.2.0 | 1.2.0 | GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2 |
Advisories 2
- openSUSE-SU-2026:21483-1 Security update for govulncheck-vulndb SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Jul 31, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2026:0403-1 Security update for govulncheck-vulndb SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Mar 23, 2026
References
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/security/advisories/GHSA-77v3-r3jw-j2v2
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/issues/5690
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/pull/3895
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/commit/17d3e22b8d3fbe339faf8515a95ec06ec92b1feb
- https://github.com/external-secrets/external-secrets/releases/tag/v1.2.0