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Performance Co-Pilot CVE-2026-16526

| EUVDEUVD-2026-50971 HIGH
Exposure of File Descriptor to Unintended Control Sphere ('File Descriptor Leak') (CWE-403)
2026-07-30 redhat GHSA-534w-2xfq-h655
RCE Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat Openshift Container Platform 4 Red Hat
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: redhat
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain low-priv foothold on host
  2. Delivery
    Locate exposed PCP internal socket
  3. Exploit
    Interact with unsecured linux_sockets endpoint
  4. Execution
    Issue commands to privileged PCP process
  5. Impact
    Execute arbitrary commands as root

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-403
Exploitation Conditions

Requires that Performance Co-Pilot be installed and running (the linux_sockets module active) on the target, and that the attacker already possess initial code execution / a low-privileged foothold on the same host - this is explicitly stated in the description ('an attacker with initial code execution'). The limiting factors are: local presence on the box (despite the AV:N CVSS metric, the workflow is on-host), a running/enabled PCP collector exposing the internal socket, and at least low-level execution rights; hosts without PCP, or with the collector disabled, are not exploitable. No user interaction is required (UI:N).
Impact

The supplied CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, base 8.8) rates this as network-reachable with only low privileges, but the description explicitly requires 'initial code execution' on the host and frames the outcome as privilege escalation to root - signals that point to a local rather than remote attack. This is a material conflict: CVSS indicates AV:N while the described prerequisite implies local/on-host access - verify the true attack surface with Red Hat's advisory. No EPSS score, KEV listing, POC, or SSVC decision data was provided, so exploitation probability cannot be quantified from the input. Net assessment: high technical impact (full root) but gated behind an existing foothold, making this a strong second-stage escalation primitive rather than an internet-facing critical; prioritize on hosts where untrusted or semi-trusted code already runs (multi-tenant, containers, CI runners).
Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker gains a low-privileged foothold on a RHEL host - for example via a compromised service account, a container escape, or a hijacked CI job - where PCP is running. They locate the unsecured internal connection exposed by the linux_sockets module and interact with the privileged PCP endpoint to issue commands, obtaining arbitrary code execution as root. No public POC is currently known, so this would require original exploit development against the leaked socket.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.8% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jul 30, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 through 10 and OpenShift Container Platform 4 arises from the linux_sockets module exposing an unsecured internal connection. An attacker who already holds low-level code execution on the host can leverage this leaked/unprotected socket to run arbitrary commands as root. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis and the flaw is not in CISA KEV, so exploitation would require an existing foothold rather than remote unauthenticated access.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch version is identified in the provided data; monitor and apply the Red Hat erratum referenced at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16526 (tracking bug https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2506026) as soon as fixed PCP packages are published for your RHEL 6-10 or OpenShift 4 release, then update via dnf/yum. As a compensating control until patched, stop or disable the PCP collector on hosts that do not require metrics collection (systemctl disable --now pmcd pmlogger), which trades away performance monitoring on those systems; where PCP is needed, restrict who can obtain initial code execution by tightening local access, container/tenant isolation, and SELinux enforcement so an attacker cannot reach the exposed internal socket. Because the escalation depends on an existing foothold, hardening the surrounding privilege boundaries meaningfully reduces exposure even without the fix.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

Performance Co-Pilot is Red Hat's system performance monitoring and metrics collection framework (pmcd and related agents/PMDAs) shipped across RHEL and OpenShift. The vulnerable component is the linux_sockets module, which enumerates and reports socket state; per the description it exposes an internal connection that is left unsecured. This maps to CWE-403 (Exposure of File Descriptor to Unintended Control Sphere / 'File Descriptor Leak'), where a privileged process passes or leaves accessible a file descriptor or socket endpoint that a lower-privileged control sphere can reach and abuse. Because PCP daemons typically run with elevated privileges to gather kernel and system metrics, an exposed control channel becomes a bridge from a constrained context to root-level command execution.

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Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Description requires an existing on-host foothold, so AV:L and PR:L; escalation yields full root, giving C:H/I:H/A:H with unchanged scope.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 7.8 CRITICAL
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Red Hat 8.8 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw in the PCP linux_sockets module exposes an unsecured internal connection. An attacker with initial code execution can exploit this to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary commands as root.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6-10 and OpenShift Container Platform 4 contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability (CVSS 8.8) with no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Attackers with existing code execution can escalate to root-level access; no vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Implement SELinux or AppArmor mandatory access control policies to restrict PCP socket permissions; disable the linux_sockets module if not operationally required; restrict unprivileged code execution through process sandboxing and containerization; establish real-time monitoring and alerting for unauthorized socket access attempts; maintain network segmentation and restricted administrative access to affected systems.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.8%
Top 48% exploitable
Prevalence
High
PCP ships with RHEL and OpenShift, widely deployed in enterprise fleets
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment Vendor VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.8%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

45
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Remote Code Execution CRITICAL

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openshift_container_platform_4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Critical
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP7 Affected

References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-16526 ADVISORY https://vuldb.com/vuln/384488 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55560 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55617 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:55740 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:72272 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:72273 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:72593 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:72594 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:73767 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:74612 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:74613 REF https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16526 REF https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2506026

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