# CVE-2026-6266: Aap-controller: aap-gateway: account hijacking and unauthorized access via unverified email linking

Status: published. Published: 2026-05-04. Updated: 2026-11-04.

A flaw was found in the AAP gateway. The user auto-link strategy, introduced in AAP 2.6, automatically links an external Identity Provider (IDP) identity to an existing AAP user account based on email matching without verifying email ownership. This allows a remote attacker to potentially hijack a victim's account or gain unauthorized access to other accounts, including administrative accounts, by manipulating the IDP-provided email.

## Remediation

- workaround: Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability. (source: CNA: redhat)
- fix: RHSA-2026:13512: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8, Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9

RHSA-2026:13508: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9

RHSA-2026:13545: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 (source: ADP: redhat-SADP)
- workaround: Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability. (source: ADP: redhat-SADP)

## Affected products and versions

-  /  (django-ansible-base): ≥ 2.5.0; < 2.5.20260422 (affected, semver); ≥ 2.6.0; < 2.6.20260422 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: redhat
-  /  (automation-controller): ≥ 4.6.0; < 4.6.28 (affected, semver); ≥ 4.7.0; < 4.7.11 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: redhat
-  /  (automation-gateway): ≥ 2.5.0; < 2.5.20260422 (affected, semver); ≥ 2.6.0; < 2.6.20260422 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.6.28-3.el8ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 (automation-gateway): ≥ 0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 (python3.12-django-ansible-base): ≥ 0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.6.28-3.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9 (automation-gateway): ≥ 0:2.5.20260422-2.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9 (python3.12-django-ansible-base): ≥ 0:2.5.20260422-2.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.7.11-2.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 (automation-gateway): ≥ 0:2.6.20260422-1.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 (python3.12-django-ansible-base): ≥ 0:2.6.20260422-1.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 (ansible-automation-platform-26/controller-rhel9): ≥ 1777377014; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 (ansible-automation-platform-26/gateway-rhel9): ≥ 1777311120; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: CNA: redhat
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.6.28-3.el8ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 (automation-gateway): ≥ 0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 (python3.12-django-ansible-base): ≥ 0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.6.28-3.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9 (automation-gateway): ≥ 0:2.5.20260422-2.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9 (python3.12-django-ansible-base): ≥ 0:2.5.20260422-2.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 (automation-controller): ≥ 0:4.7.11-2.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 (automation-gateway): ≥ 0:2.6.20260422-1.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 (python3.12-django-ansible-base): ≥ 0:2.6.20260422-1.el9ap; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 (ansible-automation-platform-26/controller-rhel9): ≥ 1777377014; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP
- Red Hat / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 (ansible-automation-platform-26/gateway-rhel9): ≥ 1777311120; < * (unaffected, rpm). Source: ADP: redhat-SADP

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 3.1: 8.3 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L; source: CNA: redhat

- CVSS 3.1: 8.1 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N; source: ADP: redhat-SADP

- CVSS 3.1: 8.3 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L; source: NVD: secalert@redhat.com

- CVSS 3.1: 8.1 (high); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N; source: NVD: 0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: 0.40% as of 2026-11-04; percentile 34.11%

- SSVC: exploitation none; automatable no; technical impact total; source ADP: CISA-ADP

- Weaknesses: CWE-305

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13508 (CNA: redhat; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13512 (CNA: redhat; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13545 (CNA: redhat; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6266 (CNA: redhat; vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2458142 (CNA: redhat; issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6266 (ADP: redhat-SADP; vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2458142 (ADP: redhat-SADP; issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-6266.json (ADP: redhat-SADP; x_sadp-csaf-vex)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13512 (ADP: redhat-SADP; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13508 (ADP: redhat-SADP; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13545 (ADP: redhat-SADP; vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13508 (secalert@redhat.com)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13512 (secalert@redhat.com)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13545 (secalert@redhat.com)

- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6266 (secalert@redhat.com)

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2458142 (secalert@redhat.com)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13508 (0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13512 (0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c)

- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:13545 (0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c)

- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6266 (0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c)

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2458142 (0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c)

- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-6266.json (0b0ca135-0b70-47e7-9f44-1890c2a1c46c)

## Provenance

- CNA: redhat: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-6266; retrieved 2026-11-04; source updated 2026-11-04

- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-6266; retrieved 2026-11-05; source updated 2026-11-04

- FIRST EPSS: https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2026-6266; retrieved 2026-11-04; source updated Not reported

Revision: 9c43c98b9420e1ffdcccd8f54d4ae4ba3f1348cfceae7ffe8b023d9c2d727e3c

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-6266

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