CVE-2026-12080
Qemu-kvm: qemu-guest-agent: local privilege escalation via symlink attack in guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys
A flaw was found in the QEMU Guest Agent (qga). A local unprivileged user can exploit a vulnerability in the guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command handler by manipulating symbolic links. This can occur either through a deterministic directory-symlink bypass or a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) file-symlink race. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to gain ownership of arbitrary root-owned files or directories, leading to root access. This vulnerability requires an external management layer (e.g., libvirt) to trigger the affected code path.
Fixes and workarounds
Workaround
If the `guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys` command is not required, it can be disabled by adding it to the qemu-guest-agent block list (qemu-ga --block-rpcs). This prevents the vulnerable code path from being reached while preserving all other guest-agent functionality.
Source: CNA: redhatAffected products and versions
| Product | Versions | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat qemu-kvm
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
≥ 17:10.1.0-17.el9_8.9; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 Red Hat openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-9
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
≥ 4.22.9.8.202611032353-0; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat qemu-kvm
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Red Hat qemu-kvm
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: unaffected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Red Hat qemu-kvm
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: unaffected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Red Hat qemu-kvm-ma
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: unaffected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat virt:rhel/qemu-kvm
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux for NVIDIA 26 Red Hat qemu-kvm
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: unknown |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 Red Hat openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-8
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 Red Hat openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-9
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
Version ranges are source assertions. Check the vendor advisory and your installed configuration before determining exposure.
CVSS assessments
| Version / score | Vector | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 / 7.3 high |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | CNA: redhat |
| 3.1 / 7.3 high |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H | NVD: [email protected] |
Exploit evidence
No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.
References
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:88421CNA: redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:95346CNA: redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-12080CNA: redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2499603CNA: redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/work_items/3929CNA: redhat
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:88421[email protected]
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:95346[email protected]
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-12080[email protected]
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2499603[email protected]
- https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/work_items/3929[email protected]
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