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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Gain local shell access on KVM hypervisor host
  2. Delivery
    Monitor libvirt storage directory for new volume files
  3. Exploit
    Wait for administrator to trigger clone or convert operation
  4. Execution
    Read world-readable disk image during creation window
  5. Impact
    Extract sensitive data from raw guest disk contents

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Permission assignment review
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires a local user account on the KVM/libvirt hypervisor host (CVSS PR:L confirmed). The vulnerability is triggered only when a libvirt storage volume clone or convert operation is actively in progress - the world-readable file exists only during the transient window between qemu-img creating the file and libvirt correcting its permissions. An attacker must be able to monitor the libvirt storage directory and read files during this window, which requires filesystem-level visibility into the storage path. Guest OS users cannot exploit this vulnerability directly - they must have local shell access on the hypervisor host itself. Exploitation is further constrained by the need to time the read during an active clone/convert operation, making passive opportunistic exploitation less reliable than targeted attacks against predictable operational workflows. Non-default but not unusual conditions: shared development KVM hosts, CI/CD virtualization nodes, or any environment where non-admin users have local shell access alongside hypervisor operations.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 score of 5.5 (Medium) with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N accurately reflects the threat model: local low-privileged access is required, but once obtained, the attacker can read the full contents of guest disk images with low complexity. The high confidentiality impact (C:H) is the dominant risk signal here. The absence of a KEV listing and no identified POC lower immediate urgency for most organizations, but in multi-tenant or shared KVM environments - such as development servers, CI/CD pipelines, or cloud infrastructure nodes - where multiple users of differing trust levels share a hypervisor host, this vulnerability represents a concrete and meaningful threat. EPSS data was not provided in source intelligence, so probabilistic exploitation likelihood cannot be quantified. The exploitation window is transient (only while a clone/convert operation is in progress), which introduces a timing dependency that marginally limits opportunistic exploitation but does not prevent a motivated local attacker from polling the filesystem. No integrity or availability impact is present.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A low-privileged local user on a shared KVM host writes a script that continuously polls the libvirt storage directory (e.g., /var/lib/libvirt/images/) using inotifywait or a tight readdir loop. When an administrator or automated system initiates a storage volume clone or convert operation, the newly created image file appears briefly as world-readable; the attacker's script immediately opens and reads the file, extracting raw disk contents including credentials, private keys, or sensitive application data from the guest virtual machine. No public POC has been identified at time of analysis.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 10, 2026

Sensitive guest disk contents are exposed to any local user on Red Hat Enterprise Linux KVM hosts due to qemu-img creating new volume image files with world-readable permissions during libvirt storage clone or convert operations. Affected platforms span RHEL 6 through 10 and RHEL for Nvidia 26. No public exploit code has been identified and this vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog at time of analysis, but the CVSS C:H rating reflects full guest disk exposure to a low-privileged local attacker.

RemediationAI

Apply the vendor-provided libvirt package update from Red Hat for the applicable RHEL version; consult https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-63623 for the exact patched package versions, as a specific fixed release was not confirmed in the available reference data at time of analysis. As a compensating control where patching is not immediately possible, restrict local login access to KVM hypervisor hosts to only trusted administrators, eliminating the local user prerequisite. Additionally, configure filesystem-level access controls (e.g., ACLs or dedicated service accounts with restricted permissions) on the libvirt image directory (typically /var/lib/libvirt/images/) to prevent non-privileged users from listing or reading files in that path - this directly interrupts the exploitation window even if qemu-img creates world-readable files. Note that these compensating controls require ongoing access management discipline and do not address the root cause permission assignment flaw.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

libvirt is the standard open-source virtualization management API used by KVM/QEMU hypervisors across Linux enterprise environments. The qemu-img utility, invoked by libvirt to perform storage volume clone or convert operations, creates new volume image files without applying a restrictive umask, leaving them world-readable during the interval between file creation and subsequent permission correction by libvirt. CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) describes this root cause precisely: a security-critical resource - raw guest disk images that may contain credentials, encryption keys, and sensitive application data - is created with permissions broader than necessary. CPE data confirms affected products are Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and RHEL for Nvidia 26 (cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_*).

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
vuln.today AI 5.5 MEDIUM

Local low-privileged access required to read transiently world-readable files; full confidentiality impact on guest disk data; no integrity or availability impact.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Red Hat 5.5 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

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

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw was found in libvirt. During storage volume clone or convert operations, newly created volume images were temporarily world-readable. This was caused by the qemu-img utility running with overly permissive file creation settings, allowing any local user to read the full guest disk contents. This vulnerability could lead to sensitive information disclosure from guest virtual machines.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 99% exploitable
Prevalence
High
libvirt is the standard virtualization API across most Linux enterprise and cloud deployments
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment MSRC 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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

28
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +28
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

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_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_enterprise_linux_for_nvidia_26:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Product Status
openSUSE Tumbleweed Fixed

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