Misconfigured KCC lets namespace users grab full GCP org ownership

A single YAML in a watched namespace can turn limited Kubernetes access into full Google Cloud organization control when KCC is over‑privileged.

Security researcher Justin O'Leary has shown that misconfigured Google Kubernetes Config Connector (KCC) can let any user with access to a watched namespace escalate to full Google Cloud organization ownership using a single YAML manifest. Because KCC runs under a powerful Google service account (often with roles like owner or organization admin) and executes all Google Cloud API calls on behalf of that account, Kubernetes RBAC and Google Cloud IAM each validate only their own side of the operation. If an attacker can create IAMPolicyMember resources in a namespace, they can ask KCC to bind any IAM role, including roles/owner on an Organization resource, to a service account they control. Kubernetes authorizes only the creation of the custom resource, while Google Cloud sees only KCC’s service account making a legitimate IAM change, leaving no point where the original user’s intent or privilege is checked end-to-end. This “ConfigConfusion” attack is a textbook confused‑deputy issue created by GitOps-style credential centralization, and it turns narrow Kubernetes access into potential control over an entire GCP organization when KCC is over‑privileged.