Cockpit-files: cockpit-files: local attacker can hijack file ownership via symlink race
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-91205 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | redhat |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-09-18 20:17:29 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-10-19 04:17:13 UTC |
| Description | A flaw was found in cockpit-files. A local unprivileged attacker can exploit a race condition during directory creation with owner assignment. By controlling a writable parent directory, the attacker can replace a newly created directory with a symbolic link (symlink) before the ownership change operation (chown) is applied. This allows the attacker to redirect the ownership change to an arbitrary file, potentially leading to information disclosure or unauthorized modification of sensitive files. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 6 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS: 0.000770000 probability, percentile 0.001500000 (date 2026-09-23)
Problem Types: CWE-363 | CWE-363 Race Condition Enabling Link Following
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 6 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | CVSS | 6 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | unaffected 0:36.1-1.el9_8 * rpm | Not specified |
| CNA | Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Not specified | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-91205 | [email protected] | access.redhat.com | |
| access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:84595 | [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 AISLE Research and Found by AISLE in partnership with Red Hat. (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-05-04T18:07:17.000Z | Reported to Red Hat. |
| CNA | 2026-09-18T16:33:00.000Z | Made public. |
Workarounds
CNA: Avoid using the privileged owner-assignment directory-creation flow in Cockpit Files inside directories that are writable by untrusted local users. Restrict write permissions on shared parent directories, and where directories must remain shared and writable, apply the sticky bit so users cannot replace directory entries they do not own. Creating directories without an owner assignment does not trigger the vulnerable privileged chown path and can be used where the owner-setting feature is not required. Updated packages that address this flaw are being delivered for the actively maintained releases.