CVE-2026-7374: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') in Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.12
A flaw was found in KubeVirt's virt-handler component. This vulnerability allows an authenticated OpenShift user with edit permissions in a single namespace to exploit improper symlink validation when connecting to virtual machine console sockets. By replacing the console socket with a symlink to the host's container runtime (CRI-O) socket, an attacker can hijack virt-handler's privileged connection. This enables the attacker to access any Unix socket on the host, potentially leading to full control of the node and the entire cluster.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability involves improper validation of symbolic links in the virt-handler component of KubeVirt used in Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.12. An authenticated user with edit permissions in a single namespace can replace the virtual machine console socket with a symlink pointing to the host's CRI-O socket. This allows the attacker to hijack the privileged connection of virt-handler, enabling access to any Unix socket on the host. Such access can lead to full control over the node and the entire OpenShift cluster. The issue is tracked as CVE-2026-7374 with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.9 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H). Red Hat has published advisories referencing this vulnerability but has not yet released a patch or fix. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-59.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an authenticated OpenShift user with edit permissions in a namespace to escalate privileges by hijacking virt-handler's privileged connection to the host's container runtime socket. This can lead to full control of the affected node and potentially the entire OpenShift cluster, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level.
Mitigation Recommendations
As per the Red Hat advisories, no official fix or patch is currently available for this vulnerability. Users should monitor Red Hat's security advisories for updates and apply all previously released errata relevant to their systems. Until a patch is released, restrict edit permissions carefully and limit access to trusted users only. Follow Red Hat's guidance on applying updates once they become available.
CVE-2026-7374: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') in Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.12
Description
A flaw was found in KubeVirt's virt-handler component. This vulnerability allows an authenticated OpenShift user with edit permissions in a single namespace to exploit improper symlink validation when connecting to virtual machine console sockets. By replacing the console socket with a symlink to the host's container runtime (CRI-O) socket, an attacker can hijack virt-handler's privileged connection. This enables the attacker to access any Unix socket on the host, potentially leading to full control of the node and the entire cluster.
CVSS v3.1
Score 9.9critical
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability involves improper validation of symbolic links in the virt-handler component of KubeVirt used in Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.12. An authenticated user with edit permissions in a single namespace can replace the virtual machine console socket with a symlink pointing to the host's CRI-O socket. This allows the attacker to hijack the privileged connection of virt-handler, enabling access to any Unix socket on the host. Such access can lead to full control over the node and the entire OpenShift cluster. The issue is tracked as CVE-2026-7374 with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.9 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H). Red Hat has published advisories referencing this vulnerability but has not yet released a patch or fix. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-59.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation allows an authenticated OpenShift user with edit permissions in a namespace to escalate privileges by hijacking virt-handler's privileged connection to the host's container runtime socket. This can lead to full control of the affected node and potentially the entire OpenShift cluster, impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level.
Mitigation Recommendations
As per the Red Hat advisories, no official fix or patch is currently available for this vulnerability. Users should monitor Red Hat's security advisories for updates and apply all previously released errata relevant to their systems. Until a patch is released, restrict edit permissions carefully and limit access to trusted users only. Follow Red Hat's guidance on applying updates once they become available.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-29T06:46:44.106Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-7374","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 6a15a0f3891d628fdc365e82
Added to database: 05/26/2026, 13:32:35 UTC
Last enriched: 07/30/2026, 00:08:07 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 21:26:47 UTC
Views: 104
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