Ansible-collection-ansible-posix: ansible.posix authorized_key: local privilege escalation via symlink-following chown
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-11837 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | redhat |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-06-10 05:16:38 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-06-10 05:16:38 UTC |
| Description | A local privilege escalation vulnerability was found in the ansible.posix authorized_key module. The module's keyfile() function uses os.chown() instead of os.lchown() and opens files without O_NOFOLLOW when managing SSH authorized keys. An unprivileged local user can pre-stage symbolic links in their ~/.ssh directory to redirect file ownership changes to arbitrary system paths when an operator runs the authorized_key task as root, leading to local privilege escalation. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.3 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Problem Types: CWE-59 | CWE-59 Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Primary | 7.3 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 7.3 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
LocalAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
RequiredScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat OpenStack Platform 17.1 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0 | Not specified | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi | [email protected] | bugzilla.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-11837 | [email protected] | access.redhat.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-06-07T00:00:00.000Z | Reported to Red Hat. |
| CNA | 2026-06-10T00:00:00.000Z | Made public. |
Workarounds
CNA: The following practices would help for avoiding exposure and mitigate this flaw: 1) Do not run the ansible.posix authorized_key module with elevated privileges against untrusted user accounts. 2) Validate that target user home directories do not contain unexpected symbolic links before running playbooks.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.