Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconObtain namespace edit access
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DeliveryPlant symlink inside filesystem PVC
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ExploitCreate VirtualMachineExport for PVC
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InstallRequest VMExport directory endpoint
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C2virt-exportserver follows symlink
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ExecuteExfiltrate exporter pod secrets/tokens
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ImpactPivot using leaked credentials
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Symlink resolution safety
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Attacker must hold namespace-level Kubernetes access sufficient to (a) write files into a filesystem-mode Persistent Volume Claim that will be exported (i.e., mount the PVC from a pod or otherwise stage a symlink within it) and (b) create or trigger a VirtualMachineExport custom resource targeting that PVC on a cluster running KubeVirt / Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4 with the virt-exportserver enabled. Exploitation is limited to filesystem-type PVC exports (block-mode PVCs and non-export workflows are not in scope per the description), requires the VMExport directory endpoint to be reachable by the attacker, and yields only file-read primitives (CVSS I:N/A:N) - no code execution or write. The CVSS PR:L confirms low privileges are required rather than full cluster-admin, but unauthenticated or cross-namespace exploitation is not indicated by the available data. |
| Impact | The CVSS 3.1 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N indicates a network-reachable, low-complexity attack requiring only low-privilege namespace access, with scope change reflecting that data outside the vulnerable PVC boundary (the exporter pod) can be read - this is consistent with the 7.7 base score and the confidentiality-only impact (C:H, I:N, A:N) described. EPSS and KEV data were not provided in the intelligence set, and no public exploit identified at time of analysis, so likelihood of opportunistic exploitation is currently unmeasured; however, the prerequisite is realistic in any multi-tenant OpenShift Virtualization cluster where namespace edit rights are routinely granted to developers or platform tenants. Treat as a meaningful priority for shared/multi-tenant clusters and lower priority for single-tenant lab environments - note that 'specific namespace-level access' in the description is not further enumerated, so the exact RBAC verbs required should be verified against the Red Hat advisory before scoping internal exposure. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A tenant with edit rights in a namespace on a shared OpenShift Virtualization cluster mounts a filesystem PVC, plants a symbolic link such as 'leak -> /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token' inside it, then creates a VirtualMachineExport pointing at that PVC and retrieves the exported directory over the network. The exporter pod follows the symlink and returns the contents of files from its own filesystem - service account tokens, mounted secrets, or TLS material - enabling further lateral movement. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the attack is straightforward to script given namespace access. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – May 28, 2026
Arbitrary file read in KubeVirt's virt-exportserver component allows authenticated namespace users to exfiltrate sensitive files from the exporter pod via symlink-based path traversal in the VMExport directory endpoint. The flaw, reported by Red Hat and impacting Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4, carries a CVSS 7.7 score driven by scope change and high confidentiality impact, though no public exploit identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory - upgrade Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4 to the fixed build identified at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-9804 (cross-reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2482487 for the exact errata version applicable to your stream). Until patched, tighten RBAC so that the namespace verbs required to create or trigger VirtualMachineExport resources and to write into source PVCs are limited to trusted administrators, and audit existing exportable PVCs for unexpected symlinks; as a stronger compensating control, temporarily disable or block creation of VirtualMachineExport custom resources via an admission policy (Kyverno/Gatekeeper) - the trade-off is loss of in-cluster VM disk export/migration workflows until the patch is applied. Consider also restricting which service accounts and secrets are mounted into virt-exportserver pods to minimize the blast radius of arbitrary file reads if exploitation occurs before patching.
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in go
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Technical ContextAI · show details
KubeVirt is an open-source extension to Kubernetes that enables running and managing virtual machine workloads alongside containers, and the virt-exportserver subcomponent provides a VMExport endpoint that streams the contents of filesystem-backed Persistent Volume Claims (PVCs) to authorized clients. The root cause is CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access, aka 'Link Following'): the export server does not validate that filesystem entries within the exported PVC stay inside the designated mount root before dereferencing them, so a symbolic link planted in the PVC is resolved against the exporter pod's own filesystem namespace, exposing arbitrary files mounted into that pod (service account tokens, certificates, configuration). The Red Hat tracker pins exposure to Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4, which packages KubeVirt as its virtualization layer.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).
CVSS VectorVendor: redhat
DescriptionCVE.org
A flaw was found in KubeVirt's virt-exportserver component. An attacker with specific namespace-level access can exploit a path traversal vulnerability in the VMExport directory endpoint. By placing a symbolic link (symlink) within an exported filesystem Persistent Volume Claim (PVC) that points outside its designated mount root, the attacker can read arbitrary files from the exporter pod's filesystem. This leads to information disclosure, potentially exposing sensitive data.
Executive ViewAI
A path traversal vulnerability in KubeVirt's virt-exportserver component within Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4 permits authenticated namespace users to read arbitrary files from the exporter pod, enabling unauthorized exfiltration of cluster secrets, credentials, and configuration data. Organizations running OpenShift Virtualization face direct confidentiality risk from compromised or malicious users within target namespaces. The lack of vendor patches requires immediate compensating controls and restrictive access governance.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: enforce strict RBAC limiting VMExport API access to essential identities only; disable virt-exportserver component if operationally feasible; implement pod security policies isolating exporter pod filesystem scope; audit and rotate all secrets accessible within the exporter pod namespace; enable detailed logging and alerting on exporter pod file access patterns; restrict exporter pod outbound network connectivity.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org
The system CA trust store shipped in Red Hat's ca-certificates RPM packages includes eMudhra root authorities that signe
Privilege escalation to cluster-wide control in KubeVirt's virt-handler component (as shipped in Red Hat OpenShift Virtu
Symlink following in KubeVirt's virt-handler migration proxy enables a low-privileged Kubernetes user holding namespace
Jinja2 template injection in Ansible Operator Plugins (CWE-1336) lets an authenticated Kubernetes user who can create or
Cross-tenant VM compromise in KubeVirt (and Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4) occurs when spec.configuration.migration
Authorization bypass in KubeVirt's RBAC evaluation logic allows authenticated users with specific custom roles to gain u
Network annotation injection in KubeVirt's VirtualMachineInstance API allows authenticated tenants to attach launcher po
Symlink-based path traversal in the buildah/copier Go package allows a crafted tar archive to create files outside the i
A path-handling flaw in the containers/storage Go library lets a crafted tar archive containing a malicious whiteout ent
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 allSame technique Information Disclosure
View allVendor StatusVendor
SUSE
Severity: High| Product | Status |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.0 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 16.1 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP7 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.0 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP applications 16.1 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.0 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.1 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Micro 6.2 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.3 | Fixed |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.3 | Fixed |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.3 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP4 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP5 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap 15.4 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap 15.5 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap Micro 5.3 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap Micro 5.4 | Fixed |
| openSUSE Leap Micro 5.5 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.0 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.1 | Fixed |
| SUSE Linux Micro Extras 6.2 | Fixed |
EUVD-2026-32748
GHSA-mpmf-3w4r-qfpf
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB