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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Craft malicious RPM with LONGFILESIZES=0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
  2. Delivery
    Deliver untrusted package to victim
  3. Exploit
    Victim runs rpm2cpio/rpm2archive/rpm -qlvp
  4. Execution
    Integer overflow shrinks buffer to one byte
  5. Persist
    cpio filesize writes past allocation
  6. Impact
    Heap corruption, integrity/availability impact

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, write limits
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Requires an attacker-crafted, untrusted RPM package in which a symlink entry declares RPMTAG_LONGFILESIZES = 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF and the cpio payload's filesize field carries the attacker-controlled overflow data. Exploitation is triggered when a victim parses that package with one of the specific tools rpm2cpio, rpm2archive, or 'rpm -qlvp' - none of which install or signature-verify the package, so signing is not a mitigation. Limiting factors: the attack vector is local (AV:L) and depends on user interaction (UI:R) to inspect the malicious file; it does not affect installed/signed packages processed through normal verified channels and there is no remote/network trigger.

Impact

The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H, base 7.1) frames this as a local, low-complexity, unauthenticated-but-user-interaction-dependent heap out-of-bounds write (CWE-787) with high integrity and availability impact and no confidentiality impact. The 'local' vector plus UI:R is accurate: exploitation requires a victim to process an attacker-supplied RPM with rpm2cpio, rpm2archive, or 'rpm -qlvp' - no network-facing service is involved. Crucially, all three trigger paths parse the package WITHOUT installing or verifying signatures, so the usual RPM signing defense does not apply. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no EPSS or CISA KEV data in the provided input, so this is not confirmed as actively exploited; the I:H/A:H reflects a controlled heap overflow with realistic memory-corruption/potential-code-execution consequences, but Red Hat scored C:N so it is not rated as an information-disclosure primitive. This is a genuine, well-characterized memory-safety bug in a ubiquitous component, but the local vector and required user interaction keep it below the priority of a remotely triggerable flaw - treat as a solid patch-soon item rather than an emergency, absent evidence of in-the-wild use.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker publishes or emails a malicious RPM whose RPMTAG_LONGFILESIZES field is set to 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF for a symlink entry; a user or automated pipeline inspects the untrusted package with 'rpm -qlvp', rpm2cpio, or rpm2archive. The integer overflow in iterReadArchiveNext() shrinks the buffer to one byte and the cpio filesize field then writes attacker-controlled bytes past the allocation, corrupting the heap. No public exploit code is identified at time of analysis, and no signature/install step is needed since these tools merely parse the package.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 29, 2026

Heap-based out-of-bounds write in the RPM Package Manager (rpm) affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 through 10 and Red Hat Hardened Images, allowing a local, unauthenticated attacker to corrupt memory by crafting an RPM package that is then parsed with rpm2cpio, rpm2archive, or rpm -qlvp. The flaw arises from an integer overflow in iterReadArchiveNext() when a symlink entry declares RPMTAG_LONGFILESIZES as 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, shrinking the buffer allocation to one byte and enabling attacker-controlled data from the cpio filesize field to overwrite heap memory. Exploitation requires user interaction to inspect the malicious package and no public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis; the CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.1.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch or fixed version is identified in the provided data; consult the Red Hat advisory (https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-95520) for updates. As a compensating control, avoid parsing untrusted RPM packages with rpm2cpio, rpm2archive, or rpm -qlvp-especially from untrusted sources-since these tools do not install or signature-verify the package and signing is not a mitigation. If inspection is necessary, perform it in an isolated, sandboxed environment (e.g., a disposable container or virtual machine) with minimal privileges to confine any memory corruption; the trade-off is reduced convenience and potential inability to fully inspect packages. Additionally, restrict local access to systems running affected RHEL versions to trusted users, as exploitation requires local user interaction (UI:R). Monitor for updates from Red Hat and apply patches as soon as they are available.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

The RPM Package Manager (rpm) uses the cpio archive format to store file payloads within RPM packages. When parsing an RPM package, functions such as iterReadArchiveNext() read archive entries and allocate buffers based on metadata. The RPMTAG_LONGFILESIZES tag is a 64-bit file size value; when a symlink entry declares it as 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, an integer overflow occurs during buffer size calculation, resulting in an allocation of only one byte. Subsequently, the cpio header's independently controlled filesize field is used to copy data into this undersized buffer, leading to a heap-based out-of-bounds write (CWE-787). The vulnerability is reachable via the rpm2cpio, rpm2archive, and rpm -qlvp utilities, which process untrusted RPM packages without requiring installation or signature verification. Affected products include all versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, as well as Red Hat Hardened Images, per the CPE data. The attack vector is local (AV:L) and requires user interaction (UI:R), with no privileges required (PR:N).

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Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 7.1 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
vuln.today AI 7.1 HIGH

Local trigger via inspecting an attacker-supplied file (AV:L, UI:R), no privileges needed to parse it (PR:N); heap overwrite yields high integrity/availability impact but Red Hat assesses no confidentiality disclosure.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:P/VC:N/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
SUSE 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Red Hat 7.1 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

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

DescriptionCVE.org

A heap-based buffer overflow flaw was found in rpm. Parsing a symlink entry in an untrusted RPM package whose declared RPMTAG_LONGFILESIZES value is 0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF causes an integer overflow in iterReadArchiveNext() that shrinks a buffer allocation to one byte, after which the payload's independently-controlled cpio filesize field is used to write attacker-controlled data past the end of that allocation. This is reachable via rpm2cpio, rpm2archive, and rpm -qlvp on an untrusted package.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A high-severity heap-based out-of-bounds write in the RPM Package Manager (rpm) affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 6 through 10 and Red Hat Hardened Images, potentially allowing a local attacker to corrupt memory when a crafted RPM package is parsed by standard utilities. While no public exploit code has been identified and exploitation requires user interaction to inspect a malicious package, the widespread deployment of affected Red Hat systems means security teams should prioritize mitigation planning. Leadership should be aware of the operational risk and the need for interim controls until a vendor patch is released.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include restricting the use of rpm2cpio, rpm2archive, and rpm -qlvp to trusted packages only, training users to avoid inspecting RPM packages from untrusted sources, applying the principle of least privilege to limit local access, and monitoring for unusual memory corruption or crashes in rpm processes. Additionally, consider using application allowlisting to block execution of rpm utilities on untrusted files.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 98% exploitable
Prevalence
Ubiquitous
rpm is the core package manager across all RPM-based Linux distributions
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

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 0.1%
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
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

36
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +36
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

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_hardened_images:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Important
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 SP7 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 Not-Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 Affected

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