Is CVE-2024-36540 actively exploited?

CVE-2024-36540 has no public evidence of in-the-wild exploitation as of 2025-06-27.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2024-36540?

CVE-2024-36540 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL severity). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

How do I patch CVE-2024-36540?

Patch guidance is available from external-secrets security advisories. CVEDatabase generates AI-assisted remediation guidance on demand for CVE-2024-36540.

Which products are affected by CVE-2024-36540?

1 product: external-secrets external secrets operator.

Fix CVE-2024-36540 - CRITICAL

Description

Insecure permissions in external-secrets v0.9.16 allows attackers to access sensitive data and escalate privileges by obtaining the service account's token.

CVSS Metrics

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack Vector: network
Complexity: low
Privileges: none
User Action: none
Scope: unchanged
Confidentiality: high
Integrity: high
Availability: high
Weaknesses: CWE-277

Metadata

Primary Vendor: EXTERNAL-SECRETS
Published: 7/24/2024
Last Modified: 6/27/2025
Source: NIST NVD
Note: Verify all details with official vendor sources before applying patches.

CVE-2024-36540

Description

CVSS Metrics

Metadata

Affected Products

Remediation Guidance

Executive Summary