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CVE-2026-13201· NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

Kubevirt: virt-handler-rhel9: kubevirt: safepath symlink following in virt-handler enables notify socket hijacking and node-level vm disruption

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 29/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.30% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: azl3 kubevirt 1.8.4-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 1.8.4-4.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to azl3 kubevirt 1.8.4-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 1.8.4-4 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

A flaw was found in KubeVirt's safepath package used by virt-handler. 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 — 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.

HighCVSS 7.3 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Jun 24, 2026
Updated
Oct 12, 2026
EPSS
0.3% · 22th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

29

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
29 / 40 · 7.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.3%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · redhat
7.3
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2026-13201

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
kubevirtkubevirt
redhatopenshift virtualization

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • kubevirt kubevirtall versions
  • redhat openshift virtualization4 and later · up to 4.22.0 inclusive

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (redhat). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.12

    • 1791522624 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.13

    • 1786346596 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.14

    • 1786309624 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.15

    • 1786347656 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.16

    • 1786030071 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.17

    • 1786348529 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.18

    • 1786130068 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.19

    • 1786334215 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.20

    • 1785831334 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.21

    • 1785829701 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.22

    • 1785140336 and laternot affected · rpm

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
openSUSE:Leap 16.0kubevirt1.8before 1.8.4-160000.1.11.8.4-160000.1.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedkubevirt1.8before 1.8.4-3.11.8.4-3.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedkubevirt1.9before 1.9.0-1.11.9.0-1.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7kubevirtbefore 1.7.4-150700.3.33.11.7.4-150700.3.33.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7kubevirt-1.6before 1.6.6-150700.15.17.11.6.6-150700.15.17.1

Same product

kubevirt: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2020-14316A flaw was found in kubevirt 0.29 and earlier.
    39Monitor
  • CVE-2025-64324KubeVirt Vulnerable to Arbitrary Host File Read and Write
    34Monitor
  • CVE-2023-26484On a compromised KubeVirt node, the virt-handler service account can be used to modify all node specs
    32Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-64437Nov 7, 2025 · KubeVirt Isolation Detection Flaw Allows Arbitrary File Permission Changes
    20Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-13208Jun 24, 2026 · Kubevirt: virt-handler-rhel9: kubevirt: virt-handler notify server trusts vmi identity from unauthenticated grpc request body
    26Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-13218Jun 25, 2026 · Kubevirt: kubevirt: symlink following in writetocachedfile allows host file overwrite from virt-launcher
    16Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
azl3 kubevirt 1.8.4-1 on Azure Linux 3.0—Microsoft (MSRC)
azl3 kubevirt 1.8.4-2 on Azure Linux 3.01.8.4-4 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
opensuse:kubevirt1.81.8.4-3.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
opensuse:kubevirt1.91.9.0-1.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
suse:kubevirt1.7.4-150700.3.33.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7Package registry (OSV)
suse:kubevirt-1.61.6.6-150700.15.17.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-132181 days apartKubevirt: kubevirt: symlink following in writetocachedfile allows host file overwrite from virt-launcher
    16Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
low · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted

Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
Low
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-61 · UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following

CVSS vector

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

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (12 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records