Skip to main content

KubeVirt virt-handler CVE-2026-7374

| EUVDEUVD-2026-31824 CRITICAL
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (CWE-59)
2026-05-26 redhat GHSA-7jcp-v9w4-wjmg
Information Disclosure Red Hat Openshift Virtualization 4 Red Hat
9.9
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: redhat
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Recon
    Obtain namespace edit credentials
  2. Delivery
    Create VM and locate console socket path
  3. Exploit
    Replace socket with symlink to CRI-O socket
  4. Install
    virt-handler opens symlink with host privileges
  5. C2
    Issue CRI-O API calls via hijacked connection
  6. Execute
    Launch privileged container on node
  7. Impact
    Pivot to full cluster control

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-59
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Symlink resolution safety
Exploitation Conditions

Requires an authenticated OpenShift user with edit (or stronger) permissions in at least one namespace on a cluster running Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4 (or upstream KubeVirt) with virt-handler deployed, plus the ability to create or modify a VM and place a symlink at the expected console socket path before virt-handler opens it. No user interaction by an admin is needed, and no special non-default configuration beyond having OpenShift Virtualization installed and granting tenants namespace edit rights. Exploitation is limited by: the need for valid namespace-edit credentials (so anonymous internet attackers cannot trigger it directly despite the AV:N CVSS vector), a race/timing window against virt-handler's connect call, and clusters that do not expose VM management to untrusted tenants (single-tenant or admin-only clusters face materially reduced risk).
Impact

CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H yields 9.9, driven by the scope change from tenant namespace to host/cluster and full CIA impact; PR:L matches the description's requirement for an authenticated OpenShift user with namespace edit rights. EPSS is only 0.12% (30th percentile) and SSVC reports Exploitation: none and Automatable: no, but Technical Impact: total, and the vulnerability is not on CISA KEV - so this is best treated as a high-impact, low-current-exploitation issue where prioritization is justified by blast radius (full node and cluster takeover from a single tenant namespace) rather than active campaigns. Note one signal tension worth flagging: the CVSS vector is AV:N (network) while the attack realistically requires authenticated cluster API access plus the ability to manipulate the VM console socket path, which is closer to adjacent/cluster-internal access than open internet exposure; multi-tenant OpenShift Virtualization clusters where untrusted users hold namespace edit roles are the realistic threat model, and single-tenant clusters face materially lower risk.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has compromised or legitimately holds an OpenShift account with edit permissions in a single tenant namespace creates a VirtualMachineInstance and, before virt-handler connects to its console socket, replaces the expected socket file with a symlink pointing to /var/run/crio/crio.sock on the host. When virt-handler dereferences the symlink with its privileged identity, the attacker's client speaks CRI-O's API through virt-handler's connection, allowing them to launch a privileged container on the node and pivot to full cluster control. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the technique is well-understood from prior symlink-following container escapes.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity.
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Jun 08, 2026

Privilege escalation to cluster-wide control in KubeVirt's virt-handler component (as shipped in Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4) allows a namespace-scoped OpenShift user with edit permissions to hijack the virt-handler's privileged Unix socket connection via a symlink swap on a virtual machine console socket. Successful exploitation leads to interaction with arbitrary host Unix sockets, including CRI-O, enabling node takeover and cluster compromise. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, and EPSS exploitation probability is low (0.12%, 30th percentile), but CVSS is 9.9 with a scope change reflecting the host/cluster blast radius.

RemediationAI

Patch available per vendor advisory: apply the Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization updates published in RHSA-2026:20720, 20736, 20763, 20767, 20782, 20825, 20866, 20886, 20890, and 20975 (all at https://access.redhat.com/errata/) corresponding to your OpenShift Virtualization 4 stream, and on SUSE apply SUSE-SU-2026:2077. Until the cluster is patched, reduce exposure by tightening RBAC so that untrusted users do not hold edit (or higher) verbs on VirtualMachine/VirtualMachineInstance resources in shared namespaces - this directly removes the PR:L precondition but breaks self-service VM management for those users; additionally, restrict or audit use of the virtctl console / VM console subresource for tenant namespaces, accepting that legitimate console troubleshooting will be impacted. Network-layer mitigations are not effective here because the abuse path is the in-cluster console socket on the node, not an exposed network service.

Affected Packages

go kubevirt.io/kubevirt fix: 1.6.6, 1.7.4, 1.8.3

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in go

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Sign in to check
Technical ContextAI · show details

KubeVirt extends Kubernetes to run virtual machines as pods, with virt-handler running as a privileged DaemonSet on each node so it can manage VM lifecycle and connect to per-VM Unix sockets (such as the serial console socket) inside tenant-controlled paths. The root cause is CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access, aka 'Link Following'): virt-handler opens the console socket path without validating that it is a real socket rather than a symlink, so a tenant with edit rights in a namespace can replace the expected socket with a symlink pointing at the host's CRI-O runtime socket. Because virt-handler runs with host-level privileges and host filesystem access, the dereference happens in the privileged context and connects the attacker to whichever Unix socket the symlink targets - in particular CRI-O, the OCI runtime that controls all containers on the node.

Know when Red Hat Openshift Virtualization 4 gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
Continue with Google Continue with GitHub

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 9.9 CRITICAL
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
SUSE CRITICAL
Red Hat 9.9 HIGH

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

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

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw was found in KubeVirt's virt-handler component. This vulnerability allows an authenticated OpenShift user with edit permissions in a single namespace to exploit improper symlink validation when connecting to virtual machine console sockets. By replacing the console socket with a symlink to the host's container runtime (CRI-O) socket, an attacker can hijack virt-handler's privileged connection. This enables the attacker to access any Unix socket on the host, potentially leading to full control of the node and the entire cluster.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4 is vulnerable to a critical privilege escalation (CVE-2026-7374, CVSS 9.9) that enables authenticated users with namespace edit permissions to escalate to cluster-wide control, potentially compromising all hosted workloads and infrastructure. Although no public exploits exist, the high severity and ease of exploitation once a user gains namespace access create significant risk requiring immediate patching.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. Interim mitigations pending patch deployment: restrict namespace-level edit permissions to essential personnel only, implement pod security policies on virt-handler workloads, and establish monitoring for unauthorized socket access or privilege escalation attempts.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 70% exploitable
Threat Intel
1
1 sources
Social Media
3
Sightings
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment GHSA MSRC Vendor CIRCL 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 CRITICAL
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
CRITICAL severity
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

50
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +50
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information Disclosure MEDIUM

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openshift_virtualization_4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More in Red Hat Openshift Virtualization 4

View all
CVE-2026-114406 MEDIUM POC
6.8 Oct 21

The system CA trust store shipped in Red Hat's ca-certificates RPM packages includes eMudhra root authorities that signe
CVE-2026-13622 HIGH
8.8 Aug 12

Symlink following in KubeVirt's virt-handler migration proxy enables a low-privileged Kubernetes user holding namespace

CVE-2026-92982 HIGH
8.5 Oct 15

Jinja2 template injection in Ansible Operator Plugins (CWE-1336) lets an authenticated Kubernetes user who can create or
CVE-2026-13325 HIGH
8.5 Jun 26

Cross-tenant VM compromise in KubeVirt (and Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4) occurs when spec.configuration.migration
CVE-2026-9804 HIGH
7.7 May 28

Arbitrary file read in KubeVirt's virt-exportserver component allows authenticated namespace users to exfiltrate sensiti
CVE-2026-6383 MEDIUM
5.4 Apr 15

Authorization bypass in KubeVirt's RBAC evaluation logic allows authenticated users with specific custom roles to gain u
CVE-2026-13434 MEDIUM
4.9 Jun 26

Network annotation injection in KubeVirt's VirtualMachineInstance API allows authenticated tenants to attach launcher po
CVE-2026-79705 MEDIUM
4.5 Sep 15

Symlink-based path traversal in the buildah/copier Go package allows a crafted tar archive to create files outside the i
CVE-2026-79699 MEDIUM
4.4 Sep 15

A path-handling flaw in the containers/storage Go library lets a crafted tar archive containing a malicious whiteout ent
CVE-2026-13322 LOW
3.8 Jun 26

Unbounded memory allocation in KubeVirt's downward metrics virtio-serial server within Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

Same weakness CWE-59 – Improper Link Resolution Before File Access

View all
CVE-2020-0787 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2015-1130 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2015-5287 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2026-41091 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2019-1069 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2026-81963 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2016-6664 HIGH POC
7.0
CVE-2025-60710 HIGH POC
7.8

Same technique Information Disclosure

View all
CVE-2019-2725 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2021-34523 CRITICAL POC
9.0
CVE-2013-2251 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2017-5638 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2025-24813 CRITICAL POC
9.8
CVE-2025-68613 HIGH POC
8.8
CVE-2015-1701 HIGH POC
7.8
CVE-2017-0147 HIGH POC
7.5

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Critical
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP7 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 Fixed
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 Fixed

References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-7374 ADVISORY https://vuldb.com/vuln/365646 ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:2077/ REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20720 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20736 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20763 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20767 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20782 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20825 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20866 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20886 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20890 REF https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:20975 REF https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-7374 REF https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2463728 REF https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-7374.json

Search Externally

GitHub PoC Exploit-DB PacketStorm Snyk Rapid7 Nuclei Templates Trickest PoC
Back

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy