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The OpenAtNoFollow function uses O_PATH|O_NOFOLLOW to obtain a file descriptor to a path leaf, but downstream operations resolve the path via /proc/self/fd/N using link-following syscalls. When the leaf is a symlink, the kernel dereferences it, defeating the intended no-follow protection. An attacker with access to a virt-launcher pod can exploit this to redirect virt-handler's IPC socket connections, including the notify socket used for VM domain lifecycle events. By hijacking this socket, the attacker can inject arbitrary domain events into virt-handler, causing it to take incorrect lifecycle actions, corrupt VM state in the Kubernetes API, or crash \u2014 resulting in sustained denial of VM management services for all virtual machines on the affected node. Additionally, the same symlink following flaw allows virt-handler to apply file ownership or permission changes to unintended host paths."}], "affected": [{"vendor": "Red Hat", "product": "Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4", "collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/", "packageName": "container-native-virtualization/virt-handler", "defaultStatus": "affected", "cpes": ["cpe:/a:redhat:container_native_virtualization:4"]}, {"vendor": "Red Hat", "product": "Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4", "collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/", "packageName": "container-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9", "defaultStatus": "affected", "cpes": ["cpe:/a:redhat:container_native_virtualization:4"]}], "references": [{"url": "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13201", "tags": ["vdb-entry", "x_refsource_REDHAT"]}, {"url": "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492203", "name": "RHBZ#2492203", "tags": ["issue-tracking", "x_refsource_REDHAT"]}], "datePublic": "2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z", "problemTypes": [{"descriptions": [{"cweId": "CWE-61", "description": "UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following", "lang": "en", "type": "CWE"}]}], "x_redhatCweChain": "CWE-61: UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following", "workarounds": [{"lang": "en", "value": "The following measures reduce the attacker pool and limit secondary impact:\n\nReview RBAC policies to restrict pods/exec permissions on virt-launcher pods to only those users who strictly require it. This reduces the number of identities that can place symlinks in the launcher filesystem.\nEnsure SELinux is in enforcing mode (default in OpenShift). While SELinux does not prevent the notify socket hijacking path, it restricts the set of host files targetable through the chown/chmod path by blocking operations on files with protected security labels.\nRHCOS immutable filesystem layers prevent modification of core OS files through the chown/chmod path.\nNote: no mitigation currently addresses the notify socket hijacking vector. 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{"acknowledgement": "This issue was discovered by Huzaifa Sidhpurwala (Red Hat).", "bugzilla": {"description": "kubevirt: virt-handler-rhel9: kubevirt: safepath OpenAtNoFollow symlink following via /proc/self/fd allows host file metadata modification", "id": "2492203", "url": "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492203"}, "csaw": false, "cvss3": {"cvss3_base_score": "5.2", "cvss3_scoring_vector": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:L", "status": "draft"}, "cwe": "CWE-61", "details": ["A flaw was found in KubeVirt's safepath package. The OpenAtNoFollow function uses O_PATH|O_NOFOLLOW to obtain a file descriptor to a path leaf, but downstream helpers operate via /proc/self/fd/N using link-following syscalls. When the leaf is a symlink, the kernel dereferences it, defeating the intended no-follow protection. An attacker with access to a virt-launcher pod can exploit this to cause virt-handler to apply file ownership or permission changes to an unintended host path."], "mitigation": {"lang": "en:us", "value": "The following default configurations in OpenShift Virtualization significantly reduce exploitability and impact:\n1. Ensure SELinux is in enforcing mode (default in OpenShift). This restricts the set of host files that virt-handler can modify through this path, blocking operations on files with protected security labels.\n2. RHCOS immutable filesystem layers prevent modification of core OS files.\n3. Review RBAC policies to limit unnecessary pods/exec permissions on virt-launcher pods to reduce the attacker pool."}, "name": "CVE-2026-13201", "package_state": [{"cpe": "cpe:/a:redhat:container_native_virtualization:4", "fix_state": "Fix deferred", "package_name": "container-native-virtualization/virt-handler", "product_name": "Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4"}, {"cpe": "cpe:/a:redhat:container_native_virtualization:4", "fix_state": "Fix deferred", "package_name": "container-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9", "product_name": "Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4"}], "public_date": "2026-06-24T00:00:00Z", "references": ["https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-13201\nhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-13201"], "statement": "A flaw was found in KubeVirt's safepath package where OpenAtNoFollow obtains a file descriptor to a leaf symlink using O_PATH|O_NOFOLLOW, then downstream helpers operate via /proc/self/fd/N which resolves through the symlink, defeating the intended no-follow protection. A namespace-level tenant with pod access can place a symlink in the virt-launcher filesystem, causing virt-handler (running as root on the node) to apply chown/chmod operations to an unintended host file. The direct impact is limited to blind modification of file ownership and permissions with hardcoded values \u2014 the attacker cannot read or write file contents and remains confined to the container. In default OpenShift Virtualization deployments, SELinux mandatory access controls restrict the set of host files that virt-handler can modify, and RHCOS immutable filesystem layers further reduce the attack surface.", "threat_severity": "Moderate"}