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CVE-2026-4631VulnerabilityPublished Updated

Cockpit's remote login feature passes user-supplied hostnames and usernames from the web interface to the SSH client

Affects cockpitSource GCVE Database

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Authoritative record:CVE-2026-4631· Critical 9.8

Public exploit available (Exploit-DB) · CVSS 9.8 Critical.

Data as of 9 Nov 2026, 14:22 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
9.8Critical
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Sources agree

CVSS scores by source
CNA (redhat)CVSS 3.19.8
ADP (redhat-SADP)CVSS 3.19.8
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 7 Apr 2026

  2. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  3. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

Timeline

  1. CVE ID reserved

    by Red Hat, Inc.

    , 15 days before disclosure

  2. CVE published

    on cve.org

    , t = 0

  3. In Threat Radar

    record ingested

    , 16 minutes after disclosure

  4. , 44 days after disclosure

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 9 Nov 2026.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Ubuntu 26.10cockpitpkg:deb/ubuntu/cockpit?arch=source&distro=stonkingOther threatsAffected
  • 360-1 – 367-1
4 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10cockpitpkg:deb/ubuntu/cockpit?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 333-1 – 346-1
7 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 20.04 LTScockpitpkg:deb/ubuntu/cockpit?arch=source&distro=focalOther threatsAffected
  • 202.1-1 – 215-1
11 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 18.04 LTScockpitpkg:deb/ubuntu/cockpit?arch=source&distro=bionicOther threatsAffected
  • 151-1 – 164-1
9 affected builds
Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Systems running OpenSSH 9.6 or later are not vulnerable to the hostname injection attack path. To mitigate the username injection attack path, ensure the SSH configuration does not use the %r token in Match exec directives, which is not default. If possible, upgrade Cockpit to version 327 or later with a fixed OpenSSH version (9.6 or newer). If upgrading is not immediately possible, restrict network access to the Cockpit web service (default port 9090) to trusted users only and disable remote host login if not required. Monitor vendor advisories for official patches and apply them when available. Red Hat is the authoritative source for patch status and remediation guidance.

Description

Cockpit's remote login feature allows user-supplied hostnames and usernames from the web interface to be passed to the SSH client without proper validation or sanitization. This flaw enables an attacker with network access to the Cockpit web service to inject malicious SSH options or shell commands via a crafted HTTP request to the login endpoint, resulting in unauthenticated remote code execution on the Cockpit host. The vulnerability exists in Cockpit versions starting from 327 and affects default configurations with remote host login enabled. The attack requires network access to the Cockpit service (default port 9090) and depends on the OpenSSH version and SSH configuration. Systems running OpenSSH 9.6 or later are not vulnerable to the hostname injection path, and systems not using the %r token in SSH Match exec directives are not vulnerable to the username injection path. This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 9.8 (critical) and public exploit code is available.

References

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