Azure Kubernetes Service: Local elevation of privilege
Summary
Microsoft has published CVE-2026-122986 for improper privilege management in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). An authorized local attacker with low privileges could elevate their privileges, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability. The product entry in the CVE record names a Linux kernel package (kernel-mshv) on Azure Linux 3.0, which does not match the AKS title, so the exact scope is not yet confirmed.
Affected
- Unknown; the title (AKS) and the CVE record's product entry (kernel-mshv on Azure Linux 3.0) do not match.
- CVE record: kernel-mshv-6.6.137.mshv2-2.azl3.x86_64 from 1.0.0 before kernel-mshv-6.6.18.34.mshv3-2.azl3.x86_64. The range is internally inconsistent and unverified.
Fixed in
Unknown. The MSRC advisory could not be accessed to confirm a fixed build.
Workaround
Unknown. No vendor-published workaround found.
Exploitation
- No evidence of exploitation in the wild found (Rapid7, OffSeq).
- Not listed in CISA KEV; CISA SSVC: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
- No public proof of concept found.
Our recommendation
- Check whether Schneeberger customers run AKS or self-managed Azure Linux 3.0 nodes.
- Obtain the MSRC advisory and confirm the affected and fixed builds before scheduling changes.
- Apply the Microsoft node image or kernel update once the fixed build is confirmed.
- Until then, limit local access to nodes and review who holds low-privileged accounts or pod-level rights.
- The vulnerability is local only; internet exposure is not expected.
Information from Microsoft (Patch Tuesday November 2026)
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- MSRC Security Update Guide msrc.microsoft.com
- CVE Record CVE-2026-122986 www.cve.org
- Microsoft AKS security bulletins learn.microsoft.com
- Rapid7 Patch Tuesday November 2026 www.rapid7.com
- Strix CVE-2026-122986 www.strix.ai
- OffSeq threat radar entry radar.offseq.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 11 Nov 2026, 03:26.
Original description (NVD)
Improper privilege management in Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.
NVD references (1)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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