CVE-2026-53718

MEDIUM
Published Sep 14, 2026 Modified Sep 15, 2026 CWE-862

Description

Envoy Gateway is an open source project for managing Envoy Proxy as a standalone or Kubernetes-based application gateway. Prior to 1.7.4 and 1.8.1, an HTTPRoute can use an extension-managed custom backendRef to reference a backend resource in another namespace without a matching Gateway API ReferenceGrant in the target namespace. The custom-backend branch in internal/gatewayapi/route.go omits validateBackendNamespace, allowing the route-owning namespace to bind to and use the resource without the backend namespace owner's consent and violating the Gateway API cross-namespace authorization model. This issue is fixed in versions 1.7.4 and 1.8.1.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

6.4
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0033
Probability of exploitation
0.26%
Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-862 Missing Authorization

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-53718? +
Envoy Gateway is an open source project for managing Envoy Proxy as a standalone or Kubernetes-based application gateway. Prior to 1.7.4 and 1.8.1, an HTTPRoute can use an extension-managed custom backendRef to reference a backend resource in another namespace without a matching Gateway API ReferenceGrant in the target namespace. The custom-backend branch in internal/gatewayapi/route.go omits validateBackendNamespace, allowing the route-owning namespace to bind to and use the resource without the backend namespace owner's consent and violating the Gateway API cross-namespace authorization model. This issue is fixed in versions 1.7.4 and 1.8.1. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.4 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2026-53718? +
CVE-2026-53718 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.4 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0033, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-53718? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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