VulnerabilityPublished 11 Nov 2026

CVE-2026-124738: Red Hat Hardened Images · Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

Affects Red Hat Hardened ImagesSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 11 Nov 2026, 11:49 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

CVSS scores by source
CNA (redhat)	CVSS 3.1	5.3

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 11 Nov 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

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 11 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6busybox	Affected–	Fixed in–
Red Hat Hardened Imagesbusybox	Affected–	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Red Hat does not indicate an official patch release for this vulnerability. To mitigate the issue without modifying BusyBox binaries, apply one or more of the following configuration changes: (1) Configure directory-level authentication rules in httpd.conf to cover directories rather than individual files, ensuring authentication applies to both base and compressed files; (2) When protecting individual files, configure password rules for both the uncompressed and compressed (.gz) filenames; (3) Restrict network access to the BusyBox httpd service using local firewall rules if remote access is unnecessary. Note that changes to httpd.conf require restarting or reloading the httpd process, which will temporarily disrupt active sessions.

Description

CVE-2026-124738 is a vulnerability in BusyBox's HTTP daemon (httpd) when pre-compressed file support is enabled. The flaw causes authentication checks to be performed only against the requested URL path, not the actual pre-compressed file served. This allows a remote attacker to bypass password protections by requesting the uncompressed file path with gzip encoding, potentially exposing sensitive files. The issue mainly affects niche configurations and BusyBox httpd is typically used in recovery or initramfs environments, limiting exposure in default Red Hat installations. Mitigations include configuring directory-level authentication, protecting both uncompressed and compressed filenames, or restricting network access to the service.

Impact

The vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass authentication controls configured specifically for compressed files by requesting the uncompressed file path with gzip encoding. This results in unauthorized information disclosure of sensitive files. The impact is limited to confidentiality loss; integrity and availability are not affected. The vulnerability is constrained to niche configurations where authentication targets individual compressed filenames rather than directories. Additionally, BusyBox httpd is typically not exposed in production environments in Red Hat distributions, further limiting impact.

Summary

A vulnerability exists in BusyBox's httpd component when serving pre-compressed files with authentication enabled. The authentication mechanism evaluates access controls against the requested URL path but not the actual compressed file served, enabling an attacker to bypass authentication by requesting the uncompressed file path with gzip encoding. This can lead to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive files. Red Hat assesses this as a moderate severity issue due to its limited exposure and niche configuration requirements. BusyBox httpd is generally restricted to lightweight recovery shells and initramfs environments in Red Hat products, reducing the likelihood of exploitation in production. Red Hat recommends configuration changes to authentication rules to cover directories or both compressed and uncompressed filenames, or restricting access to the httpd service.

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What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 11 Nov 2026, 11:35 UTC

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