CVE-2026-12080high7.3

Qemu-kvm: qemu-guest-agent: local privilege escalation via symlink attack in guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys

Impact

A local unprivileged user can exploit a vulnerability in the QEMU Guest Agent's guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command handler via a symlink attack, potentially gaining root access. The vulnerability requires an external management layer to trigger the affected code path. Affected products include Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 9, and 10.

Summarized by @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast. Verify details against the original sources.

Applies when

This vulnerability requires an external management layer (e.g., libvirt) to trigger the affected code path.

What to do

If the guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command is not required, it can be disabled by adding it to the qemu-guest-agent block list (qemu-ga --block-rpcs). This prevents the vulnerable code path from being reached while preserving all other guest-agent functionality.

redhat guidance

Affected packages

This source has no supported package-version data for matching. You can read the advisory here, but this record alone cannot power a dependency check.

Affected products

Vendor version evidence. Product records are separate from automatic dependency matching.

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

1 range

redhat version evidence

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unaffected

17:10.1.0-17.el9_8.9 → before *

rpm versions

Other versions: affected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

0 ranges

redhat version evidence

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Other versions: affected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

0 ranges

redhat version evidence

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Other versions: unaffected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

0 ranges

redhat version evidence

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Other versions: unaffected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

0 ranges

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Other versions: unaffected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

0 ranges

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Other versions: affected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for NVIDIA 26

0 ranges

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Other versions: unknown

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux_nvidia:

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

0 ranges

redhat version evidence

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Other versions: affected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/a:redhat:openshift:4

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

0 ranges

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Other versions: affected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/a:redhat:openshift:4

Red Hat · redhat

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5

0 ranges

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Other versions: affected

Product identifiers (CPE)

cpe:/a:redhat:openshift:5

Original source description

A flaw was found in the QEMU Guest Agent (qga). A local unprivileged user can exploit a vulnerability in the guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command handler by manipulating symbolic links. This can occur either through a deterministic directory-symlink bypass or a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) file-symlink race. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to gain ownership of arbitrary root-owned files or directories, leading to root access. This vulnerability requires an external management layer (e.g., libvirt) to trigger the affected code path.

Inside the record

Evidence available

Package identity · not supplied

Version evidence

Remediation guidance

Weakness classification

Additional publishers

Describes the evidence in this view, not whether the product is safe.

Original records

CVE-2026-12080

View the latest unmodified CVE JSON from the official source. It may be newer than this imported page.

cve.new JSON →

Underlying weaknesses

The source’s classification of what caused the vulnerability.

CWE-61 ↗

UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following

redhat

Contributing organizations · 2

redhat

Assigning organization

2026-10-30

CISA-ADP

Additional data publisher

2026-07-20

What changed

Follow changes

No substantive changes have been recorded here yet. History starts when cve.new observes a change after tracking is enabled; earlier edits are not reconstructed.

Large field values are marked as truncated previews. Original source snapshots remain retained.

References

4 sources

access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:88421

vendor-advisoryredhat

access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-12080

vdb-entryredhat

bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi

issue-trackingredhat

gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/work_items/3929

Source referenceredhat

Priority and evidence

Not in CISA KEVNo package fix recorded

KEV coverage does not rule out exploitation.

KEV checked 31/10/2026, 09:25:35 UTC

redhat · CVSS:3.1 · 7.3

Assessment vector

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

Reading the signals

Severity · CVSS: Technical impact and attack conditions. The headline is the highest imported catalog score; sources may disagree.
Observed exploitation · KEV: An absent or unavailable KEV listing does not establish that exploitation has not occurred.
Predicted exploitation · EPSS: 0.14% estimated probability in the next 30 days. 2026-10-29 · FIRST EPSS.

CISA-ADP · SSVC

CISA Coordinator · 2026-07-20

Exploitation: none
Automatable: no
Technical Impact: total

SSVC describes the publisher’s decision context. Your organization’s exposure and priorities may differ.

Record details

Published: 20/07/2026, 12:40:45 UTC
Modified: 30/10/2026, 05:41:40 UTC
Last imported by cve.new: 30/10/2026, 05:45:52 UTC
Aliases: None recorded

Source evidence

Request a correction or dispute

Start with the assigning organization for this record. Include the CVE ID, the disputed information, and supporting evidence. A dispute does not itself reject a record.

Find the responsible CNA →Official dispute and escalation process ↗

CVE CVE-2026-12080

Enrichment coverage

NVDAvailable

Checked 30/10/2026, 05:50:30 UTC

GHSAAvailable

Checked 30/10/2026, 05:50:30 UTC

EUVDAvailable

Checked 30/10/2026, 05:50:30 UTC

EPSSAvailable

Checked 30/10/2026, 05:50:31 UTC

Additional source evidence

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-45941

CVSS 7.3 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Checked 30/10/2026, 05:50:30 UTC

NVD · CVE-2026-12080

CVSS 7.3 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Checked 30/10/2026, 05:50:30 UTC

GitHub Advisory Database · GHSA-9xqq-92hv-jj34

CVSS 7.3 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Checked 30/10/2026, 05:50:30 UTC

FIRST EPSS · CVE-2026-12080

EPSS 0.14% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Percentile: 3.29% · 2026-10-29

Checked 30/10/2026, 05:50:31 UTC

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