Qemu-kvm: qemu-guest-agent: local privilege escalation via symlink attack in guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys
cve-program · CVE-2026-12080
PublishedA 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.
Read the publisher's advisoryAffected versions, risk and source history
Related advisories and sources
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CVE-2026-12080 · CVE overview and exploitation status
cve-program · CVE-2026-12080
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:88421
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:94537
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:95346
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-12080
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2499603
- https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/work_items/3929
Related changes
Linked by CVE identifier- Qemu-kvm: qemu-guest-agent: local privilege escalation via symlink attack in guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys · Affected-version evidence changed · 9 Nov 2026
- Qemu-kvm: qemu-guest-agent: local privilege escalation via symlink attack in guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys · Affected-version evidence changed · 6 Nov 2026
- Qemu-kvm: qemu-guest-agent: local privilege escalation via symlink attack in guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys · Affected-version evidence changed · 4 Nov 2026
- Qemu-kvm: qemu-guest-agent: local privilege escalation via symlink attack in guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys · Affected-version evidence changed · 30 Oct 2026