Vulnerabilities
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CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-13201

UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following

Published: Jun 24, 2026 | Modified: Aug 16, 2026
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
7.3 MODERATE
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H
Ubuntu
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-13201
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/61.html

A flaw was found in KubeVirts safepath package used by virt-handler. The OpenAtNoFollow function uses O_PATH|O_NOFOLLOW to obtain a file descriptor to a path leaf, but downstream operations resolve the path via /proc/self/fd/N using link-following syscalls. When the leaf is a symlink, the kernel dereferences it, defeating the intended no-follow protection. An attacker with access to a virt-launcher pod can exploit this to redirect virt-handlers IPC socket connections, including the notify socket used for VM domain lifecycle events. By hijacking this socket, the attacker can inject arbitrary domain events into virt-handler, causing it to take incorrect lifecycle actions, corrupt VM state in the Kubernetes API, or crash — resulting in sustained denial of VM management services for all virtual machines on the affected node. Additionally, the same symlink following flaw allows virt-handler to apply file ownership or permission changes to unintended host paths.

Weakness

The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.

Affected Software

NameVendorStart VersionEnd Version
KubevirtKubevirt- (including)- (including)
Openshift_virtualizationRedhat4 (including)4.22.0 (including)
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.13RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1786346596*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.14RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1786309624*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.15RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1786347656*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.16RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1786030071*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.17RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1786348529*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.18RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1786130068*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.19RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1786334215*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.2RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1785831334*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.21RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1785829701*
Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.22RedHatcontainer-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9:1785140336*

Potential Mitigations

  • Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
  • Denying access to a file can prevent an attacker from replacing that file with a link to a sensitive file. Ensure good compartmentalization in the system to provide protected areas that can be trusted.

References

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