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CVE-2026-7374· NVD / CVE Program· CNA redhat

Kubevirt: kubevirt virt-handler: privilege escalation and node compromise via symlink following vulnerability

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 39/100)

  • 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: 0.82% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 57.1% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt kubevirt 1.6.6, 1.7.4, 1.8.3; azl3 kubevirt 1.7.1-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 1.7.1-6; azl3 kubevirt 1.7.1-7 on Azure Linux 3.0 1.7.1-6.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt kubevirt 1.6.6, 1.7.4, 1.8.3; azl3 kubevirt 1.7.1-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 1.7.1-6; azl3 kubevirt 1.7.1-7 on Azure Linux 3.0 1.7.1-6 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 virt-handler component. This vulnerability allows an authenticated OpenShift user with edit permissions in a single namespace to exploit improper symlink validation when connecting to virtual machine console sockets. By replacing the console socket with a symlink to the host's container runtime (CRI-O) socket, an attacker can hijack virt-handler's privileged connection. This enables the attacker to access any Unix socket on the host, potentially leading to full control of the node and the entire cluster.

CriticalCVSS 9.9 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
May 26, 2026
Updated
Sep 10, 2026
EPSS
0.8% · 57th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

39

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
39 / 40 · 9.9 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.8%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · redhat
9.9
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-2026-7374

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
container native virtualization4.12
container native virtualization4.13
container native virtualization4.14
container native virtualization4.15
container native virtualization4.16
container native virtualization4.17
container native virtualization4.18
container native virtualization4.19
container native virtualization4.20
container native virtualization4.21

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.

  • github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt kubevirt

    • before 1.6.6affected · semver
    • 1.7.0 and later · before 1.7.4affected · semver
    • 1.8.0 and later · before 1.8.3affected · semver

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.12

    • 1779375376 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.13

    • 1778999881 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.14

    • 1779321599 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.15

    • 1778859977 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.16

    • 1778861274 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.17

    • 1779174925 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.18

    • 1778887155 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.19

    • 1779289071 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.20

    • 1779288737 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat Container Native Virtualization 4.21

    • 1779420069 and laternot affected · rpm

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Gokubevirt.io/kubevirtfrom 1.7.0-alpha.0 · before 1.7.41.7.4
Gokubevirt.io/kubevirtfrom 1.8.0-alpha.0 · before 1.8.31.8.3
Gokubevirt.io/kubevirtbefore 1.6.61.6.6
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7kubevirtbefore 1.7.4-150700.3.24.21.7.4-150700.3.24.2
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7kubevirt-1.6before 1.6.6-150700.15.7.11.6.6-150700.15.7.1

Same product

red hat: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-13622Kubevirt: virt-handler-rhel9: kubevirt: virt-handler migration proxy follows symlinks allowing container escape to host
    35Monitor

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
github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt kubevirt1.6.6Vendor (CNA)
github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt kubevirt1.7.4Vendor (CNA)
github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt kubevirt1.8.3Vendor (CNA)
azl3 kubevirt 1.7.1-2 on Azure Linux 3.01.7.1-6 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
azl3 kubevirt 1.7.1-7 on Azure Linux 3.01.7.1-6 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
Go:kubevirt.io/kubevirt1.6.6Package registry (OSV)
Go:kubevirt.io/kubevirt1.7.4Package registry (OSV)
Go:kubevirt.io/kubevirt1.8.3Package registry (OSV)
suse:kubevirt1.7.4-150700.3.24.2 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP7Package registry (OSV)
suse:kubevirt-1.61.6.6-150700.15.7.1 · 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.

No nightly-computed relations.

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

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet 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
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted

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

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

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-59 · Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

CVSS vector

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

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