Y2
Public vulnerability disclosure

CVE-2026-72693

Kbd: local privilege escalation in openvt via incorrect process owner verification allowing passwordless root login

publishedCWE-284

`openvt -u` is intended to identify the owner of the current VT and then execute `login` as that user from a privileged context. In the documented `kbrequest`/init usage, the ownership test in `authenticate_user()` relies on `stat("/proc/<pid>/fd/0")`. `stat()` on `/proc/<pid>/fd/0` follows the symlink to the underlying TTY device node. As a result, `buf.st_uid` reflects the owner of the TTY node rather than the owner of the process holding the file descriptor. If the TTY owner returns to `root` or the getty owner after logout while an unprivileged process still has `fd 0` attached to that TTY, the check can incorrectly treat that process as belonging to the privileged console owner. Once that check succeeds, the `-u` path executes a passwordless login as the selected user. In the documented `kbrequest`/init deployment using `openvt -us`, this can result in passwordless `login -f root` on the spawned VT. This report establishes that privilege escalation path for that documented deployment; it does not claim equivalent reachability for deployments that do not use `openvt -u` from a privileged `kbrequest`/init path.

Technical severity7.8 highCVSS 3.1 · CNA: redhat
Published2026-08-11Source updated 2026-11-02
Collected2026-11-023 attributed sources

Fixes and workarounds

Workaround

To mitigate this issue, avoid using `openvt -u` in privileged `kbrequest`/init deployments. Instead, configure the keyboard request to initiate a standard authenticated login on the new virtual terminal, or disable the keyboard request binding entirely until a fix is available. Changes to `kbrequest` configurations may require a system restart or service reload to take effect.

Source: CNA: redhat

Affected products and versions

Affected products, source version ranges and reporting authorities
ProductVersionsAuthority
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Red Hat
kbd
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/
≥ 0:2.6.4-8.el10_2; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected
CNA: redhat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Red Hat
kbd
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/
≥ 0:2.0.4-11.el8_10.1; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected
CNA: redhat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Red Hat
kbd
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/
≥ 0:2.4.0-12.el9_8; < * (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/
≥ 4.22.9.8.202608251819-0; < * (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/
≥ 4.22.9.8.202609081748-0; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected
CNA: redhat
Red Hat Hardened Images
Red Hat
kbd-main
https://catalog.redhat.com/software/containers/
≥ 2.10.0-2.hum1; < * (unaffected, rpm)
Other versions: affected
CNA: redhat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Red Hat
kbd
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/
Range not reported
Other versions: unknown
CNA: redhat
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Red Hat
kbd
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/
Range not reported
Other versions: affected
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

CVSS scores, vectors and reporting authorities
Version / scoreVectorAuthority
3.1 / 7.8
high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCNA: redhat
3.1 / 7.8
high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HNVD: [email protected]

Exploit evidence

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

References