diff --git a/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/authentication.go b/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/authentication.go
index 4f9ebeae0eb..f11bff75566 100644
--- a/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/authentication.go
+++ b/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/authentication.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package options
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"crypto/x509"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/url"
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/client-go/informers"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
 	v1listers "k8s.io/client-go/listers/core/v1"
+	certutil "k8s.io/client-go/util/cert"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/util/keyutil"
 	cliflag "k8s.io/component-base/cli/flag"
 	"k8s.io/klog/v2"
@@ -307,11 +309,39 @@ func (o *BuiltInAuthenticationOptions) Validate() []error {
 
 	if o.RequestHeader != nil {
 		allErrors = append(allErrors, o.RequestHeader.Validate()...)
+
+		if o.ClientCert != nil &&
+			len(o.ClientCert.ClientCA) > 0 &&
+			len(o.RequestHeader.ClientCAFile) > 0 &&
+			len(o.RequestHeader.AllowedNames) == 0 {
+			clientCACerts, err1 := certutil.CertsFromFile(o.ClientCert.ClientCA)
+			requestHeaderCACerts, err2 := certutil.CertsFromFile(o.RequestHeader.ClientCAFile)
+			if err1 == nil && err2 == nil {
+				if certificatesOverlap(clientCACerts, requestHeaderCACerts) {
+					allErrors = append(allErrors,
+						fmt.Errorf("--requestheader-client-ca-file and --client-ca-file contain overlapping certificates; --requestheader-allowed-names must be specified to ensure regular client certificates cannot set authenticating proxy headers for arbitrary users"))
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
 	}
 
 	return allErrors
 }
 
+// certificatesOverlap returns true when there's at least one identical
+// certificate in the two certificate bundles
+func certificatesOverlap(a, b []*x509.Certificate) bool {
+	for _, ca := range a {
+		for _, cb := range b {
+			if ca.Equal(cb) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // AddFlags returns flags of authentication for a API Server
 func (o *BuiltInAuthenticationOptions) AddFlags(fs *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	if o == nil {
diff --git a/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/authentication_test.go b/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/authentication_test.go
index 9e2cb74e8bd..4026a748cdd 100644
--- a/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/authentication_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/authentication_test.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/pem"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"reflect"
 	goruntime "runtime"
 	"strings"
@@ -58,6 +59,8 @@ import (
 func TestAuthenticationValidate(t *testing.T) {
 	testCases := []struct {
 		name                              string
+		clientCert                        *apiserveroptions.ClientCertAuthenticationOptions
+		requestHeader                     *apiserveroptions.RequestHeaderAuthenticationOptions
 		testAnonymous                     *AnonymousAuthenticationOptions
 		testOIDC                          *OIDCAuthenticationOptions
 		testSA                            *ServiceAccountAuthenticationOptions
@@ -256,11 +259,43 @@ func TestAuthenticationValidate(t *testing.T) {
 			// feature-gate, otherwise this feature-gate cannot be disabled.
 			emulationVersion: version.MustParse("1.33"),
 		},
+		{
+			name:       "overlapping CA without allowed-names",
+			clientCert: &apiserveroptions.ClientCertAuthenticationOptions{ClientCA: filepath.Join("testdata", "client-ca.pem")},
+			requestHeader: &apiserveroptions.RequestHeaderAuthenticationOptions{
+				ClientCAFile:    filepath.Join("testdata", "client-ca.pem"),
+				AllowedNames:    []string{},
+				UsernameHeaders: []string{"X-Remote-User"},
+			},
+			expectErr: "--requestheader-client-ca-file and --client-ca-file contain overlapping certificates; --requestheader-allowed-names must be specified to ensure regular client certificates cannot set authenticating proxy headers for arbitrary users",
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "overlapping CA with allowed-names",
+			clientCert: &apiserveroptions.ClientCertAuthenticationOptions{ClientCA: filepath.Join("testdata", "client-ca.pem")},
+			requestHeader: &apiserveroptions.RequestHeaderAuthenticationOptions{
+				ClientCAFile:    filepath.Join("testdata", "client-ca.pem"),
+				AllowedNames:    []string{"Client-CA"},
+				UsernameHeaders: []string{"X-Remote-User"},
+			},
+			expectErr: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "different CAs without allowed-names",
+			clientCert: &apiserveroptions.ClientCertAuthenticationOptions{ClientCA: filepath.Join("testdata", "client-ca.pem")},
+			requestHeader: &apiserveroptions.RequestHeaderAuthenticationOptions{
+				ClientCAFile:    filepath.Join("testdata", "server-ca.pem"),
+				AllowedNames:    []string{},
+				UsernameHeaders: []string{"X-Remote-User"},
+			},
+			expectErr: "",
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, testcase := range testCases {
 		t.Run(testcase.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			options := NewBuiltInAuthenticationOptions()
+			options.ClientCert = testcase.clientCert
+			options.RequestHeader = testcase.requestHeader
 			options.Anonymous = testcase.testAnonymous
 			options.OIDC = testcase.testOIDC
 			options.ServiceAccounts = testcase.testSA
diff --git a/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/testdata/client-ca.pem b/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/testdata/client-ca.pem
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..589af4bfdea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/testdata/client-ca.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
+MIIBbTCCARSgAwIBAgIUDMmq4/Gw2N1o5TWBLWsm65RiVkIwCgYIKoZIzj0EAwIw
+FDESMBAGA1UEAxMJQ2xpZW50LUNBMCAXDTIxMDUyMjIzNTIwMFoYDzIxMjEwNDI4
+MjM1MjAwWjAUMRIwEAYDVQQDEwlDbGllbnQtQ0EwWTATBgcqhkjOPQIBBggqhkjO
+PQMBBwNCAAQDhCqK/KktlUtqgVgBLRRbJ/I1FJdG2AxYRpu+ygc7fUJFrZlLebyC
+U5DbVovKxV0Xq8A/fU71+rKy4YybRQjvo0IwQDAOBgNVHQ8BAf8EBAMCAQYwDwYD
+VR0TAQH/BAUwAwEB/zAdBgNVHQ4EFgQUaDl2pG6N7NoORQjpHprKDSOL8+0wCgYI
+KoZIzj0EAwIDRwAwRAIgbS1tdj6El37kUwF9yZDXKfjLUlRBBLmIYhP0mdui6/AC
+IB4F/weuM/6IjCdcPJRxvdC7qjCdV0xnFqvQ+BhuUGSF
+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
diff --git a/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/testdata/server-ca.pem b/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/testdata/server-ca.pem
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4b203f3e3b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/kubeapiserver/options/testdata/server-ca.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
+MIIBbzCCARSgAwIBAgIUf0aG2C1P7KaDGobg9oeN3uhQlu4wCgYIKoZIzj0EAwIw
+FDESMBAGA1UEAxMJU2VydmVyLUNBMCAXDTIxMDUyMjIzNTIwMFoYDzIxMjEwNDI4
+MjM1MjAwWjAUMRIwEAYDVQQDEwlTZXJ2ZXItQ0EwWTATBgcqhkjOPQIBBggqhkjO
+PQMBBwNCAAQ/DG/wiOR9TkCK9wrQiK6scv0foSIaH7NnRLyv48FbQNcU9dwCNBy0
+TyBUe7d+n3TLUlVOuJrGuJT/Hwtuunxko0IwQDAOBgNVHQ8BAf8EBAMCAQYwDwYD
+VR0TAQH/BAUwAwEB/zAdBgNVHQ4EFgQUjcdIlU1vGLSUWBcSqCEJTgqlSacwCgYI
+KoZIzj0EAwIDSQAwRgIhAIujFeJKprddp+9aCZZUv05jCS5JiopW2bn/FJJRQ6OK
+AiEA1NS6trAbfgk6vYS2D2vamuF4XC9LggyxbcoaMf+GAn4=
+-----END CERTIFICATE-----