CVE-2026-12505: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
CVE-2026-12505 is a vulnerability in the cifs-utils package on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 where the cifs.upcall helper does not properly drop root privileges before processing user information in a user-controlled environment. This allows a local, low-privileged attacker to trick the root-owned helper into loading a malicious NSS module, resulting in arbitrary command execution as root and full system compromise.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability exists because the cifs.upcall helper fails to securely drop its root privileges before looking up user information inside a user-controlled environment. An attacker with local, low privileges can craft a request_key payload that causes the root-owned helper to enter a custom environment containing a malicious NSS module. This forces the system to load the attacker's NSS module and configuration, enabling arbitrary command execution with root privileges and complete system compromise.
Potential Impact
A local attacker with low privileges can escalate to root by exploiting this vulnerability, leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability as indicated by the CVSS vector (C:H/I:H/A:H).
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-12505 for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround is stated in the provided advisory content.
CVE-2026-12505: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Description
CVE-2026-12505 is a vulnerability in the cifs-utils package on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 where the cifs.upcall helper does not properly drop root privileges before processing user information in a user-controlled environment. This allows a local, low-privileged attacker to trick the root-owned helper into loading a malicious NSS module, resulting in arbitrary command execution as root and full system compromise.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.8high
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability exists because the cifs.upcall helper fails to securely drop its root privileges before looking up user information inside a user-controlled environment. An attacker with local, low privileges can craft a request_key payload that causes the root-owned helper to enter a custom environment containing a malicious NSS module. This forces the system to load the attacker's NSS module and configuration, enabling arbitrary command execution with root privileges and complete system compromise.
Potential Impact
A local attacker with low privileges can escalate to root by exploiting this vulnerability, leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability as indicated by the CVSS vector (C:H/I:H/A:H).
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-12505 for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround is stated in the provided advisory content.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-06-17T10:15:14.786Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-12505","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 6a337200f198dc38c11589de
Added to database: 6/18/2026, 4:20:16 AM
Last enriched: 6/18/2026, 4:34:55 AM
Last updated: 6/18/2026, 5:22:01 AM
Views: 3
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