CVE-2026-88924: GNOME gvfs · Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition
Affects GNOME gvfsSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.0 High.
Data as of 10/25/2026, 17:13:39 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 12% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 10 Sep 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq 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 2026-10-25.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| GNOMEgvfs | Affected
| Fixed in
|
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected– | Fixed in– |
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support | Affected– | Fixed in– |
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected– | Fixed in– |
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions | Affected– | Fixed in– |
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Update Services for SAP Solutions | Affected– | Fixed in– |
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support | Affected– | Fixed in– |
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected– | Fixed in– |
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected– | Fixed in– |
| Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected– | Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
Red Hat has released official security updates that fix this vulnerability in gvfs for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. Users should apply the provided patches as detailed in the Red Hat advisory RHSA-2026:73998. The vendor advisory is the authoritative source for remediation steps. No alternative mitigations are specified, so patching is the recommended action.
Description
CVE-2026-88924 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the GNOME gvfs package. It arises from a TOCTOU race condition in the gvfsd-admin daemon, which improperly changes ownership of files by following symbolic links in user-controlled directories. This flaw allows a local authenticated attacker to change ownership of critical root-owned files, potentially leading to full root access. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of gvfs prior to fixed releases. Red Hat has issued an important security update addressing this issue.
Impact
An authenticated local attacker can exploit this TOCTOU race condition to modify ownership of arbitrary root-owned files, allowing them to alter critical system files. This leads to a full local privilege escalation to root, compromising system integrity and security. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.0 (High), reflecting high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact with low attack complexity but requiring local privileges.
References
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-88924 (opens in a new tab)
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2531456 (opens in a new tab)
- gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gvfs/-/issues/875 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:73998 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:74370 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:85942 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:85941 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:85944 (opens in a new tab)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:85939 (opens in a new tab)