CVE-2026-94416: Aap-gateway: aap-gateway: authorization bypass via workload identity token forgery

Severity: medium (CVSS 6.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.5% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-09-24 · updated 2026-10-21
Weakness: CWE-290

Description

An authorization bypass was found in the Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) gateway. The gateway API allows an authenticated administrator to create a new service key for the Controller service cluster. Because service-key creation is not restricted to the installer-provisioned provisioning path, an administrator-issued key is cryptographically indistinguishable from a legitimate one and can be used to forge a service-authentication token that impersonates the Controller service. Combined with the gateway OIDC workload-identity endpoint (enabled via FEATURE_OIDC_WORKLOAD_IDENTITY_ENABLED), the attacker can drive the gateway to sign Workload Identity Tokens (WITs) for arbitrary Controller workloads. A downstream resource server such as HashiCorp Vault that trusts the gateway OIDC key will accept the forged WIT and return the AAP credentials bound to that workload, disclosing secrets beyond the attacker's authorization boundary.

Affected products

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2: all versions
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9: all versions — fixed in 0:2.6.20261019-1.el9ap
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7: all versions — fixed in 1792429216

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 0:2.6.20261019-1.el9ap; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7 1792429216. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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