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.
References
| Link | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13201 | Mitigation Vendor Advisory |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492203 | Issue Tracking Vendor Advisory |
Configurations
Configuration 1 (hide)
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History
06 Jul 2026, 17:51
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| CPE | cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_virtualization:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:a:kubevirt:kubevirt:-:*:*:*:*:kubernetes:*:* |
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| References | () https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13201 - Mitigation, Vendor Advisory | |
| References | () https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492203 - Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory | |
| First Time |
Redhat openshift Virtualization
Kubevirt Redhat Kubevirt kubevirt |
26 Jun 2026, 00:16
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | (en) 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. | |
| CVSS |
v2 : v3 : |
v2 : unknown
v3 : 7.3 |
24 Jun 2026, 21:16
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| New CVE |
Information
Published : 2026-06-24 21:16
Updated : 2026-07-06 17:51
NVD link : CVE-2026-13201
Mitre link : CVE-2026-13201
CVE.ORG link : CVE-2026-13201
JSON object : View
Products Affected
kubevirt
- kubevirt
redhat
- openshift_virtualization
CWE
CWE-61
UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following
