diff --git a/pkg/cel/libs/user/impl.go b/pkg/cel/libs/user/impl.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b851c74ca8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cel/libs/user/impl.go
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package user
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/google/cel-go/common/types"
+	"github.com/google/cel-go/common/types/ref"
+	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/utils"
+)
+
+const (
+	saPrefix = "system:serviceaccount:"
+)
+
+type impl struct {
+	types.Adapter
+}
+
+func (c *impl) parse_service_account_string(user ref.Val) ref.Val {
+	if user, err := utils.ConvertToNative[string](user); err != nil {
+		return types.WrapErr(err)
+	} else {
+		var sa ServiceAccount
+		if strings.HasPrefix(user, saPrefix) {
+			user = user[len(saPrefix):]
+			if sep := strings.Index(user, ":"); sep != -1 {
+				sa.Namesapce = user[:sep]
+				sa.Name = user[sep+1:]
+			}
+		}
+		return c.NativeToValue(sa)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cel/libs/user/impl_test.go b/pkg/cel/libs/user/impl_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0acf3cfaa8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cel/libs/user/impl_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+package user
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/google/cel-go/cel"
+	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/utils"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func Test_impl_parse_service_account_string(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		user string
+		want ServiceAccount
+	}{{
+		name: "simple",
+		user: "system:serviceaccount:foo:bar",
+		want: ServiceAccount{Namesapce: "foo", Name: "bar"},
+	}, {
+		name: "with :",
+		user: "system:serviceaccount:foo:bar:baz",
+		want: ServiceAccount{Namesapce: "foo", Name: "bar:baz"},
+	}, {
+		name: "not a service account",
+		user: "something-else:123",
+		want: ServiceAccount{},
+	}}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			opts := Lib()
+			env, err := cel.NewEnv(opts)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.NotNil(t, env)
+			ast, issues := env.Compile(fmt.Sprintf(`user.ParseServiceAccount("%s")`, tt.user))
+			fmt.Println(issues.String())
+			assert.Nil(t, issues)
+			assert.NotNil(t, ast)
+			prog, err := env.Program(ast)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.NotNil(t, prog)
+			out, _, err := prog.Eval(map[string]any{})
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			sa, err := utils.ConvertToNative[ServiceAccount](out)
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.want, sa)
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cel/libs/user/lib.go b/pkg/cel/libs/user/lib.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1be0d1077d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cel/libs/user/lib.go
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package user
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+
+	"github.com/google/cel-go/cel"
+	"github.com/google/cel-go/common/types"
+	"github.com/google/cel-go/ext"
+)
+
+const libraryName = "kyverno.user"
+
+type lib struct{}
+
+func Lib() cel.EnvOption {
+	// create the cel lib env option
+	return cel.Lib(&lib{})
+}
+
+func (*lib) NativeTypes() []reflect.Type {
+	return []reflect.Type{
+		reflect.TypeFor[ServiceAccount](),
+	}
+}
+
+func (*lib) LibraryName() string {
+	return libraryName
+}
+
+func (c *lib) CompileOptions() []cel.EnvOption {
+	return []cel.EnvOption{
+		ext.NativeTypes(reflect.TypeFor[ServiceAccount]()),
+		c.extendEnv,
+	}
+}
+
+func (*lib) ProgramOptions() []cel.ProgramOption {
+	return []cel.ProgramOption{}
+}
+
+func (c *lib) extendEnv(env *cel.Env) (*cel.Env, error) {
+	// create implementation, recording the envoy types aware adapter
+	impl := impl{
+		Adapter: env.CELTypeAdapter(),
+	}
+	// build our function overloads
+	libraryDecls := map[string][]cel.FunctionOpt{
+		"user.ParseServiceAccount": {
+			cel.Overload("parse_service_account_string", []*cel.Type{types.StringType}, ServiceAccountType, cel.UnaryBinding(impl.parse_service_account_string)),
+		},
+	}
+	// create env options corresponding to our function overloads
+	options := []cel.EnvOption{}
+	for name, overloads := range libraryDecls {
+		options = append(options, cel.Function(name, overloads...))
+	}
+	// extend environment with our function overloads
+	return env.Extend(options...)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cel/libs/user/types.go b/pkg/cel/libs/user/types.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4f7fdb3888
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cel/libs/user/types.go
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+package user
+
+import "github.com/google/cel-go/common/types"
+
+var ServiceAccountType = types.NewObjectType("user.ServiceAccount")
+
+type ServiceAccount struct {
+	Name      string `json:"name,omitempty"`
+	Namesapce string `json:"namespace,omitempty"`
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cel/policy/compiler.go b/pkg/cel/policy/compiler.go
index 73fff63b66..6d5f80f371 100644
--- a/pkg/cel/policy/compiler.go
+++ b/pkg/cel/policy/compiler.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	vpolautogen "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/autogen"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/libs/context"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/libs/http"
+	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/libs/user"
 	admissionregistrationv1 "k8s.io/api/admissionregistration/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/validation/field"
 	apiservercel "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/cel"
@@ -128,7 +129,7 @@ func (c *compiler) compileForKubernetes(policy *policiesv1alpha1.ValidatingPolic
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	options = append(options, declOptions...)
-	options = append(options, context.Lib(), http.Lib())
+	options = append(options, context.Lib(), http.Lib(), user.Lib())
 	// TODO: params, authorizer, authorizer.requestResource ?
 	env, err := base.Extend(options...)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/imageverification/evaluator/compiler.go b/pkg/imageverification/evaluator/compiler.go
index a98440e8f6..a25a6c41f1 100644
--- a/pkg/imageverification/evaluator/compiler.go
+++ b/pkg/imageverification/evaluator/compiler.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	engine "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/libs/context"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/libs/http"
+	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/libs/user"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/cel/policy"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/imageverification/imagedataloader"
 	"github.com/kyverno/kyverno/pkg/imageverification/imageverifierfunctions"
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ func (c *compiler) Compile(logger logr.Logger, ivpolicy *policiesv1alpha1.ImageV
 	for _, declType := range declTypes {
 		options = append(options, cel.Types(declType.CelType()))
 	}
-	options = append(options, imageverifierfunctions.Lib(logger, c.ictx, ivpolicy, c.lister), context.Lib(), http.Lib())
+	options = append(options, imageverifierfunctions.Lib(logger, c.ictx, ivpolicy, c.lister), context.Lib(), http.Lib(), user.Lib())
 	env, err := base.Extend(options...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, append(allErrs, field.InternalError(nil, err))