CVE-2025-12801: Incorrect Execution-Assigned Permissions in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
A vulnerability was recently discovered in the rpc.mountd daemon in the nfs-utils package for Linux, that allows a NFSv3 client to escalate the privileges assigned to it in the /etc/exports file at mount time. In particular, it allows the client to access any subdirectory or subtree of an exported directory, regardless of the set file permissions, and regardless of any 'root_squash' or 'all_squash' attributes that would normally be expected to apply to that client.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability in rpc.mountd within the nfs-utils package allows an NFSv3 client to escalate privileges assigned in the /etc/exports file during mount operations. Specifically, the client can access any subdirectory or subtree of an exported directory regardless of file permissions or squash attributes (root_squash or all_squash) that would normally restrict access. This privilege escalation flaw affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 8 (>=8.0.0 <8.10) and 10 (>=10.0.0 <10.2). Red Hat has released security advisories RHSA-2026:3938 and RHSA-2026:3939 providing updated nfs-utils packages that fix this issue. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating a medium severity vulnerability with high confidentiality impact but no integrity or availability impact.
Potential Impact
An attacker with the ability to mount NFS exports can bypass normal file permission restrictions and squash options, gaining unauthorized access to any subdirectory or subtree of the exported directory. This results in a confidentiality breach by exposing data that should be restricted. The vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released official security updates for nfs-utils that address this vulnerability. Users should apply the updates as described in Red Hat advisories RHSA-2026:3938 and RHSA-2026:3939. The advisories provide detailed instructions for updating affected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 10 systems. Applying these patches fully mitigates the issue. No additional workarounds or mitigations are indicated by the vendor.
CVE-2025-12801: Incorrect Execution-Assigned Permissions in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Description
A vulnerability was recently discovered in the rpc.mountd daemon in the nfs-utils package for Linux, that allows a NFSv3 client to escalate the privileges assigned to it in the /etc/exports file at mount time. In particular, it allows the client to access any subdirectory or subtree of an exported directory, regardless of the set file permissions, and regardless of any 'root_squash' or 'all_squash' attributes that would normally be expected to apply to that client.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.5medium
Affected software
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AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability in rpc.mountd within the nfs-utils package allows an NFSv3 client to escalate privileges assigned in the /etc/exports file during mount operations. Specifically, the client can access any subdirectory or subtree of an exported directory regardless of file permissions or squash attributes (root_squash or all_squash) that would normally restrict access. This privilege escalation flaw affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 8 (>=8.0.0 <8.10) and 10 (>=10.0.0 <10.2). Red Hat has released security advisories RHSA-2026:3938 and RHSA-2026:3939 providing updated nfs-utils packages that fix this issue. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 6.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating a medium severity vulnerability with high confidentiality impact but no integrity or availability impact.
Potential Impact
An attacker with the ability to mount NFS exports can bypass normal file permission restrictions and squash options, gaining unauthorized access to any subdirectory or subtree of the exported directory. This results in a confidentiality breach by exposing data that should be restricted. The vulnerability does not affect integrity or availability. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released official security updates for nfs-utils that address this vulnerability. Users should apply the updates as described in Red Hat advisories RHSA-2026:3938 and RHSA-2026:3939. The advisories provide detailed instructions for updating affected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 10 systems. Applying these patches fully mitigates the issue. No additional workarounds or mitigations are indicated by the vendor.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2025-11-06T12:17:26.749Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:3938","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:3939","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:3940","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:3941","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:3942","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5127","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5606","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5867","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5873","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:5877","vendor":"Red Hat"},{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-12801","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 69a850c1d1a09e29cb458b4a
Added to database: 03/04/2026, 15:33:21 UTC
Last enriched: 07/02/2026, 22:15:44 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:53 UTC
Views: 275
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