CVE-2026-15816

Root command execution via unquoted emergency hook

Published Aug 7, 2026 · Updated Aug 7, 2026

OS command injection in dracut on affected Red Hat products allows attackers to execute commands as root via DHCP ROOT_PATH data. The die() function writes an unquoted netroot error into emergency/01-die.sh, preserving shell command substitution when dracut later sources the hook. Exposure requires DHCP-based network boot, a rogue or spoofed DHCP server on the adjacent network, failed netroot-handler resolution, and subsequent boot-failure handling.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.30%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

OS command injection in dracut on affected Red Hat products allows attackers to execute commands as root via DHCP ROOT_PATH data. The die() function writes an unquoted netroot error into emergency/01-die.sh, preserving shell command substitution when dracut later sources the hook. Exposure requires DHCP-based network boot, a rogue or spoofed DHCP server on the adjacent network, failed netroot-handler resolution, and subsequent boot-failure handling.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-15816
Published
Aug 7, 2026
Updated
Aug 7, 2026
Vendor
389 Directory Server
Product
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Classifications
CWE-78, T1059.004
Attack vector
adjacent
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 7, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 7, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectoradjacent
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

389 Directory Server · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Affected versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectoradjacent
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-78Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
T1059.004Unix Shell

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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