CVE-2026-85518: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

OpenSCAP in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 improperly validates relative file path attributes during the decomposition of Source DataStream (SDS) files. This allows a path traversal attack where crafted datastreams containing directory traversal sequences can cause unauthorized file creation or modification outside the intended directory. Exploitation requires user interaction or automated system processing of the malicious datastream and results in unauthorized file system changes with the permissions of the executing process.

Successful exploitation allows unauthorized file creation or modification outside the intended target directory. This can lead to integrity violations of the file system under the permissions of the process executing OpenSCAP. There is no confidentiality impact reported, but integrity is high and availability impact is low.

Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-85518 for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is applied, avoid processing untrusted Source DataStream files with OpenSCAP to prevent exploitation.