CVE-2026-62182

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-62182 is an OS command injection vulnerability (CWE-78) in KubeEdge, an open-source system for extending native containerized application orchestration to edge hosts. A user with permission to create or modify ConfigUpdateJob resources can inject shell metacharacters into updateFields values, which are concatenated into the keadm config-update command and executed via a system shell on an enrolled target edge node. The flaw affects versions 1.21.0 through 1.21.1, 1.22.0 through 1.22.1, and 1.23.0, and is rated CVSS 8.8 (High), enabling arbitrary command execution with the privileges of the KubeEdge process handling the job.

Technical Analysis

KubeEdge bridges Kubernetes control-plane orchestration with edge node compute. The vulnerable component resides in edge/pkg/taskmanager/actions/configupdatejob.go, which processes ConfigUpdateJob resources. According to the NVD description, the processing logic "concatenates authenticated user-controlled updateFields values into the keadm config-update command and executes it through a system shell."

This is a classic OS command injection (CWE-78) pattern. The core defect is the failure to sanitize or properly escape shell metacharacters before interpolating user-controlled data into a string that is ultimately handed to a shell interpreter. Because the command string is passed to a system shell rather than invoked via an argument-vector API (e.g., exec.Command with discrete arguments in Go), any metacharacter present in the injected value is interpreted by the shell with its normal semantics. This allows an attacker to:

• terminate the intended keadm config-update invocation,
• append arbitrary additional commands using separators such as ;, &&, ||, or |,
• or use command substitution ($(...), backticks) to inject execution of arbitrary binaries.

The attack surface is the ConfigUpdateJob processing pipeline on the edge node. The updateFields value is described as being incorporated into the "complete --set value," meaning the injected content lands in the arguments passed to keadm. A user who can create or modify ConfigUpdateJob resources therefore controls the data that reaches the shell. Authorization is required (the user is "authenticated" and holds ConfigUpdateJob create/modify permissions), which is consistent with the CVSS PR:L (Low privileges required) and AV:N (Network) subscores — the actor interacts through the KubeEdge API/control plane rather than requiring local shell access to the edge node initially.

No public proof-of-concept or exploit code is available for this CVE, and no Nuclei template exists. Attack chain details below are inferred at the vulnerability-class level from the NVD description; specific payload strings and exact injection syntax are not published and should not be fabricated.

Notably, the NVD description states the issue is "fixed in versions 1.21.2, 1.22.2, and 1.23.1," but our tracked patch sources returned no patch evidence (patch confidence 0/4, empty patch source list). This discrepancy indicates that reliable patch-fix telemetry is not yet available from our tracked feeds even though the upstream project reports remediation. Treat the fixed-version information as vendor-stated and verify against the official KubeEdge release artifacts before relying on it operationally.

Exploitation Scenarios

No public PoC is available; the following attack chain is inferred strictly from the vulnerability class and the NVD description.

1. Reconnaissance / target identification. The attacker requires access to the KubeEdge control plane or a role authorized to create or modify ConfigUpdateJob resources. Identifying a target involves confirming an enrolled edge node running a vulnerable KubeEdge version (1.21.0–1.21.1, 1.22.0–1.22.1, or 1.23.0) and verifying the actor's RBAC permissions permit ConfigUpdateJob creation/modification. Since the issue is network-reachable (AV:N) and the actor is authenticated with low privileges (PR:L), a compromised low-privilege account or a mis-scoped service account is sufficient.

2. Triggering the flaw. The attacker crafts or modifies a ConfigUpdateJob whose updateFields values contain shell metacharacters. Because these values are concatenated into the keadm config-update command and executed through a system shell, the injected metacharacters are interpreted by the shell rather than treated as literal data.

3. Payload / execution (class-level). Through shell metacharacter injection — command separators or command substitution — the attacker causes additional commands to be executed as part of the keadm config-update invocation. Execution occurs "on an enrolled target edge node with the privileges of the KubeEdge process handling the job." No specific payload syntax is published; any claim of exact metacharacters or command strings would be speculative.

4. Post-exploitation impact. With arbitrary command execution on the edge node, the attacker achieves high confidentiality and integrity impact under the KubeEdge process's privileges (CVSS C:H/I:H/A:H). Depending on that process's privilege level, this could include reading sensitive edge-node data, modifying configuration or workloads, establishing persistence, or using the node as a pivot into the broader edge/cloud environment.

Impact Assessment

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (8.8 High):

• AV:N (Network): Exploitable remotely via the KubeEdge management interface.
• AC:L (Low): No special conditions beyond crafting a ConfigUpdateJob.
• PR:L (Low): Requires only authenticated ConfigUpdateJob create/modify permissions.
• UI:N (None): No user interaction required.
• S:U (Unchanged): Impact confined to the edge node's security authority.
• C:H/I:H/A:H: Complete loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected node.

Business impact: KubeEdge is deployed in edge computing environments — industrial, telecom, retail, and IoT scenarios — where edge nodes may run sensitive workloads and bridge OT/IT networks. Arbitrary code execution on an edge node can compromise data confidentiality, tamper with edge applications, disrupt availability of edge services, and provide a foothold for lateral movement toward the control plane. The blast radius extends to every enrolled edge node reachable by a job from a compromised or malicious ConfigUpdateJob creator. CISA KEV status is NO, and no active exploitation is currently reported.

Detection Guidance

Sigma Rule

title: KubeEdge ConfigUpdateJob Command Injection Attempt
id: 7c9e1a2b-kubeedge-62182
status: experimental
description: Detects creation or modification of ConfigUpdateJob resources containing shell metacharacters in updateFields, indicating CVE-2026-62182 exploitation.
references:
  - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-62182
author: valtersit.com
logsource:
  product: kubernetes
  service: audit
detection:
  selection_resource:
    objectRef.resource: 'configupdatejobs'
  selection_verb:
    verb:
      - 'create'
      - 'update'
      - 'patch'
  selection_metachar:
    requestObject.spec.updateFields|contains:
      - ';'
      - '&&'
      - '||'
      - '|'
      - '$(('
      - '`'
      - '>'
      - '<'
  condition: selection_resource and selection_verb and selection_metachar
falsepositives:
  - Legitimate configuration values that legitimately contain shell-like characters
level: high

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2026_62182_KubeEdge_ConfigUpdateJob_Injection
{
    meta:
        description = "Detects KubeEdge ConfigUpdateJob manifests with shell metacharacters in updateFields (CVE-2026-62182)"
        author = "valtersit.com"
        reference = "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-62182"
        date = "2026-01-01"
        severity = "high"

    strings:
        $job = "ConfigUpdateJob" ascii nocase
        $kub = "kind: ConfigUpdateJob" ascii nocase
        $set = "--set" ascii
        $upd = "updateFields" ascii nocase
        $mc1 = ";" ascii
        $mc2 = "&&" ascii
        $mc3 = "||" ascii
        $mc4 = "$(" ascii
        $mc5 = "`" ascii

    condition:
        ($kub or ($job and $upd)) and $set and 1 of ($mc1, $mc2, $mc3, $mc4, $mc5)
}

Suricata IDS Rule

alert http any any -> any any (msg:"CVE-2026-62182 KubeEdge ConfigUpdateJob Command Injection Attempt"; flow:established,to_server; http.method; content:"POST"; http.uri; content:"configupdatejob"; nocase; http.request_body; content:"updateFields"; nocase; http.request_body; content:"--set"; nocase; pcre:"/(updateFields[^\\n]*(;|&&|\|\||\$\())/i"; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:6218201; rev:1; metadata:created_at 2026_01_01, reference:cve,2026-62182;)

Elastic Detection

sequence by host.id, user.name with maxspan=5s
  [any where event.category == "authentication" and event.outcome == "success"]
  [any where event.action in ("create", "update", "patch")
       and kubernetes.resource == "configupdatejobs"
       and wildcard(kubernetes.request.object.spec.updateFields, "*;*", "*&&*", "*||*", "*$(*", "*`*")]

Splunk SPL Query

index=kubernetes sourcetype=kube:apiserver:audit
| search objectRef.resource="configupdatejobs" verb IN ("create","update","patch")
| regex requestObject="(?i)updateFields[^\\n]*(;|&&|\\|\\||\\$\\(|`)"
| table _time user.username verb requestObject sourceIPs objectRef.name
| sort - _time

Wazuh OSSEC Rule

<group name="kubeedge,cve-2026-62182,">
  <rule id="621820" level="12">
    <decoded_as>json</decoded_as>
    <field name="objectRef.resource">configupdatejobs</field>
    <field name="verb">create|update|patch|patch</field>
    <regex type="pcre2">"updateFields".*(;|&amp;&amp;|\|\||\$\()</regex>
    <description>CVE-2026-62182: Possible KubeEdge ConfigUpdateJob command injection via updateFields</description>
    <mitre>
      <id>T1059</id>
    </mitre>
    <group>command_injection,</group>
  </rule>
</group>

Mitigation & Patch Guidance

Patch confidence: 0/4 (UNPATCHED — no patch evidence from any tracked source). The NVD description states the issue is fixed in versions 1.21.2, 1.22.2, and 1.23.1, but no tracked source confirmed patch artifacts; verify against official vendor releases before depending on them.

1. Immediate mitigations:

   • Restrict RBAC so that only highly trusted principals can create or modify ConfigUpdateJob resources. Remove broad create/update/patch permissions on ConfigUpdateJob from low-privilege service accounts and users.
   • Audit existing ConfigUpdateJob resources and recent create/update/patch events for shell metacharacters in updateFields values.
   • Where operationally feasible, apply admission control (e.g., validating webhooks or policy engines) to reject ConfigUpdateJob objects whose updateFields contains shell metacharacters.
   • Monitor KubeEdge edge-node process activity for unexpected child processes spawned by the config-update flow.

2. Patch / upgrade steps:

   • Upgrade KubeEdge to the fixed releases: 1.21.2, 1.22.2, or 1.23.1 as stated in the vendor advisory.
   • Validate the integrity of downloaded release artifacts against official checksums/signatures before deployment.
   • Re-deploy updated edge components to all enrolled edge nodes; a control-plane-only upgrade is insufficient because the vulnerable processing executes on the edge node.

3. Long-term hardening:

   • Adopt secure coding practices that avoid shell invocation entirely — use argument-vector execution (no shell interpretation) and validate/reject input containing shell metacharacters before it reaches command construction.
   • Enforce least privilege consistently across all KubeEdge RBAC roles, scoping ConfigUpdateJob permissions tightly.
   • Deploy runtime workload protection and process monitoring on edge nodes to detect anomalous command execution.
   • Track upstream KubeEdge security advisories and subscribe to release notifications for timely patching of edge fleets.

References

• NVD — CVE-2026-62182: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-62182
• KubeEdge Project (upstream vendor): https://kubeedge.io
• KubeEdge GitHub repository (fix/release verification): https://github.com/kubeedge/kubeedge
• CWE-78 — Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/78.html
• MITRE ATT&CK T1059 — Command and Scripting Interpreter: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/

No public exploit code, Nuclei template, or active threat-actor campaign has been observed for this CVE. CISA KEV status: NO.