Automation-controller: automation-controller: instance install_bundle issues 10-year, non-revocable receptor mesh-ca certificates for caller-chosen (and case-variant impersonating) hostnames
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-84716 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | redhat |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-09-23 20:17:18 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-09-23 20:17:18 UTC |
| Description | A flaw was found in the automation-controller instance install-bundle endpoint. When a System Administrator downloads an execution/hop node's install bundle, the controller signs an X.509 certificate with the receptor mesh certificate authority in which the Common Name, DNS subject-alternative-name, and receptor node-id are taken verbatim from the caller-chosen instance hostname, with a hard-coded ten-year validity, a random serial, and no issuance log or revocation list. Because the hostname charset validator is case-insensitive while the uniqueness validator is case-sensitive, an administrator can register a case variant of an existing control node's hostname and obtain a mesh-CA-signed certificate that TLS peers, which match hostnames case-insensitively, accept as that control node. In managed/hosted deployments — where the customer holds controller superuser but the platform operator runs the mesh — this yields a long-lived, non-revocable mesh peer credential and, with an on-path position, TLS impersonation or interception of control/hybrid mesh nodes. It does not grant direct remote code execution, because receptor work submission is gated by a separate signing key not included in the bundle. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 6.6 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Problem Types: CWE-266 | CWE-266 Incorrect Privilege Assignment
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Primary | 6.6 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 6.6 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
HighPrivileges Required
HighUser Interaction
NoneScope
ChangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
LowAvailability
NoneCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | Not specified | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 | 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-2026-84716 | [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 | 2026-09-02T01:03:49.507Z | Reported to Red Hat. |
| CNA | 2026-09-23T00:00:00.000Z | Made public. |
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.