Dracut: dracut: root code execution via unescaped error message written to sourced emergency hook script in die()

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2026-15816
StatePUBLISHED
Assignerredhat
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-08-07 11:17:05 UTC
Updated2026-08-07 18:17:09 UTC
DescriptionA flaw was found in dracut. The die() error-handling function writes its message into a shell script under the initramfs emergency-hook directory without properly shell-quoting it. When the message contains data derived from the DHCP ROOT_PATH option, an attacker on the adjacent network who controls a rogue DHCP server can inject a command-substitution sequence that executes as root the next time dracut sources its emergency hook scripts during standard boot-failure handling.

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.5 HIGH from [email protected]

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS: 0.002500000 probability, percentile 0.164180000 (date 2026-08-10)

Problem Types: CWE-78 | CWE-78 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1[email protected]Secondary7.5HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
3.1CNACVSS7.5HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Not specified Not specified
CNA Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Not specified Not specified
CNA Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 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 Hardened Images Not specified Not specified
CNA Red Hat Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 Not specified Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
github.com/dracutdevs/dracut/blob/master/modules.d/99base/dracut-lib.sh [email protected] github.com
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi [email protected] bugzilla.redhat.com
github.com/dracutdevs/dracut/blob/master/modules.d/40network/netroot.sh [email protected] github.com
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-15816 [email protected] access.redhat.com
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi [email protected] bugzilla.redhat.com
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Vendor Comments And Credit

Discovery Credit

CNA: This issue was discovered by Pavel Valena (Red Hat). (en)

Additional Advisory Data

SourceTimeEvent
CNA2026-06-10T19:21:21.000ZReported to Red Hat.
CNA2026-08-05T23:59:00.000ZMade public.

Workarounds

CNA: Restrict DHCP server access on networks used for network boot (DHCP snooping, dedicated/trusted provisioning VLANs) until a fix is available.

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