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CVE Vulnerability Details :
CVE-2026-13201
PUBLISHED
More InfoOfficial Page
Assigner-redhat
Assigner Org ID-53f830b8-0a3f-465b-8143-3b8a9948e749
View Known Exploited Vulnerability (KEV) details
Published At-24 Jun, 2026 | 20:39
Updated At-25 Jun, 2026 | 23:23
Rejected At-
▼CVE Numbering Authority (CNA)
Kubevirt: virt-handler-rhel9: kubevirt: safepath symlink following in virt-handler enables notify socket hijacking and node-level vm disruption

A flaw was found in KubeVirt's 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-handler's 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.

Affected Products
Vendor
Red Hat, Inc.Red Hat
Product
Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4
Collection URL
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/
Package Name
container-native-virtualization/virt-handler
CPEs
  • cpe:/a:redhat:container_native_virtualization:4
Default Status
affected
Vendor
Red Hat, Inc.Red Hat
Product
Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4
Collection URL
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/
Package Name
container-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9
CPEs
  • cpe:/a:redhat:container_native_virtualization:4
Default Status
affected
Problem Types
TypeCWE IDDescription
CWECWE-61UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following
Type: CWE
CWE ID: CWE-61
Description: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following
Metrics
VersionBase scoreBase severityVector
3.17.3HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H
Version: 3.1
Base score: 7.3
Base severity: HIGH
Vector:
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:H
Metrics Other Info
Red Hat severity rating
value:
Moderate
namespace:
https://access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification/
Impacts
CAPEC IDDescription
Solutions

Configurations

Workarounds

The following measures reduce the attacker pool and limit secondary impact: Review RBAC policies to restrict pods/exec permissions on virt-launcher pods to only those users who strictly require it. This reduces the number of identities that can place symlinks in the launcher filesystem. Ensure SELinux is in enforcing mode (default in OpenShift). While SELinux does not prevent the notify socket hijacking path, it restricts the set of host files targetable through the chown/chmod path by blocking operations on files with protected security labels. RHCOS immutable filesystem layers prevent modification of core OS files through the chown/chmod path. Note: no mitigation currently addresses the notify socket hijacking vector. The attacker's ability to inject domain events into virt-handler is not constrained by SELinux or filesystem immutability.

Exploits

Credits

This issue was discovered by Huzaifa Sidhpurwala (Red Hat).
Timeline
EventDate
Reported to Red Hat.2026-06-24 13:52:04
Made public.2026-06-24 00:00:00
Event: Reported to Red Hat.
Date: 2026-06-24 13:52:04
Event: Made public.
Date: 2026-06-24 00:00:00
Replaced By

Rejected Reason

References
HyperlinkResource
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13201
vdb-entry
x_refsource_REDHAT
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492203
issue-tracking
x_refsource_REDHAT
Hyperlink: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13201
Resource:
vdb-entry
x_refsource_REDHAT
Hyperlink: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492203
Resource:
issue-tracking
x_refsource_REDHAT
▼Authorized Data Publishers (ADP)
CISA ADP Vulnrichment
Affected Products
Metrics
VersionBase scoreBase severityVector
Metrics Other Info
Impacts
CAPEC IDDescription
Solutions

Configurations

Workarounds

Exploits

Credits

Timeline
EventDate
Replaced By

Rejected Reason

References
HyperlinkResource
Details not found