CVE-2026-22703 - Cosign Plugin
CVE-2026-22703
Cosign provides code signing and transparency for containers and binaries. Prior to versions 2.6.2 and 3.0.4, Cosign bundle can be crafted to successfully verify an artifact even if the embedded Rekor entry does not reference the artifact's digest, signature or public key. When verifying a Rekor entry, Cosign verifies the Rekor entry signature, and also compares the artifact's digest, the user's public key from either a Fulcio certificate or provided by the user, and the artifact signature to the Rekor entry contents. Without these comparisons, Cosign would accept any response from Rekor as valid. A malicious actor that has compromised a user's identity or signing key could construct a valid Cosign bundle by including any arbitrary Rekor entry, thus preventing the user from being able to audit the signing event. This issue has been patched in versions 2.6.2 and 3.0.4.
CVE-2026-22703
MEDIUM
CVSS 5.5
Published 2026-01-10
Updated 2026-02-05
AI Risk Elevated (58/100)
Active Exploit: No strong signal
Published Exploit: Public exploit references found
Priority: P3 Priority
Severity Band
MEDIUM
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Affected Components
1
Reference Links
3
AI Risk Engine
Elevated (58/100)
Exploitability
Medium
Active Exploitation
No strong signal
Published Exploit Status
Public exploit references found
AI Context
Machine-generated threat intelligence
AI
Updated 16 days ago
AI enriched 16 days ago (2026-04-09 08:19 UTC)
Technical Summary
Cosign provides code signing and transparency for containers and binaries. Prior to versions 2.6.2 and 3.0.4, Cosign bundle can be crafted to successfully verify an artifact even if the embedded Rekor entry does not reference the artifact's digest, signature or public key. When verifying a Rekor entry, Cosign verifies the Rekor entry signature, and also compares the artifact's digest, the user's public key from either a Fulcio certificate or provided by the user, and the artifact signature to the Rekor…
Potential Impact
Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 5.5). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.
Exploitability Assessment
Exploitability is assessed as Medium based on published exploit references.
Primary risk drivers: published exploit references
Mitigation Recommendations
Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.
Detection & Monitoring
Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.
Business Impact Lens
Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.
