CVE-2026-40109 Details
Description
Flux notification-controller is the event forwarder and notification dispatcher for the GitOps Toolkit controllers. Prior to 1.8.3, the gcr Receiver type in Flux notification-controller does not validate the email claim of Google OIDC tokens used for Pub/Sub push authentication. This allows any valid Google-issued token, to authenticate against the Receiver webhook endpoint, triggering unauthorized Flux reconciliations. Exploitation requires the attacker to know the Receiver's webhook URL. The webhook path is generated as /hook/sha256sum(token+name+namespace), where the token is a random string stored in a Kubernetes Secret. There is no API or endpoint that enumerates webhook URLs. An attacker cannot discover the path without either having access to the cluster and permissions to read the Receiver's .status.webhookPath in the target namespace, or obtaining the URL through other means (e.g. leaked secrets or access to Pub/Sub config). Upon successful authentication, the controller triggers a reconciliation for all resources listed in the Receiver's .spec.resources. However, the practical impact is limited: Flux reconciliation is idempotent, so if the desired state in the configured sources (Git, OCI, Helm) has not changed, the reconciliation results in a no-op with no effect on cluster state. Additionally, Flux controllers deduplicate reconciliation requests, sending many requests in a short period results in only a single reconciliation being processed. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.8.3.
A vulnerability exists in Flux notification-controller versions prior to 1.8.3, specifically within the GCR Receiver type. The issue arises because the receiver does not validate the email claim in Google OIDC tokens used for Pub/Sub push authentication. This oversight allows any valid Google-issued token to authenticate with the receiver's webhook endpoint, triggering unauthorized reconciliations in Flux. Exploitation requires knowledge of the receiver's webhook URL, which is generated based on a token stored in a Kubernetes Secret. Without access to the cluster or leaked information, an attacker cannot easily discover this URL. While successful exploitation triggers reconciliations for specified resources, the practical impact is limited due to Flux's idempotent reconciliation process and its ability to deduplicate requests.
Users can upgrade to Flux notification-controller version 1.8.3, which includes a patch for this vulnerability by refactoring the GCR Receiver authentication to validate the email and audience claims in the JWT. Operators can configure their receiver's secret with the expected GCP Service Account email for validation. For more information, refer to the GCR Receiver documentation on the Flux website.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
Volerion
Assessed Apr 9, 2026CISA-ADP
Assessed Apr 13, 2026References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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| URL | Source(s) | Tag(s) |
|---|---|---|
| https://github.com/fluxcd/notification-controller/pull/1279 | [email protected] | Issue TrackingVendor |
| https://github.com/fluxcd/notification-controller/releases/tag/v1.8.3 | [email protected] | Release NotesVendor |
| https://github.com/fluxcd/notification-controller/security/advisories/GHSA-h9cx-xjg6-5v2w | [email protected] | AdvisoryRemedyVendor |
Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CWE-287 | Improper Authentication | [email protected] |
| CWE-345 | Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity | [email protected] |
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| Flux notification-controller | < 1.8.3 (semver) |
CPE
Remediation
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Change History
3 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2026 | CVE Modified | [email protected] |
| Jun 17, 2026 | CVE Modified | CISA-ADP |
| Apr 9, 2026 | New CVE Received | [email protected] |
Volerion