CVE-2026-31979Public exploit

Root escalation via Kerberos cache symlink following

Published Mar 11, 2026 · Updated Mar 11, 2026

Symlink following in Himmelblau before 2.3.8 and 3.1.0 allows local users to gain root privileges through Kerberos cache paths. The root-owned himmelblaud-tasks daemon recursively creates and chowns /tmp/krb5cc_ paths, then opens cache files without no-follow protections. Exploitation requires local access and a Kerberos authentication flow; shared host /tmp exposure permits directory ownership changes or cache-content overwrites of arbitrary files.

CVSS severity8.8
High
EPSS probability0.20%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Symlink following in Himmelblau before 2.3.8 and 3.1.0 allows local users to gain root privileges through Kerberos cache paths. The root-owned himmelblaud-tasks daemon recursively creates and chowns /tmp/krb5cc_ paths, then opens cache files without no-follow protections. Exploitation requires local access and a Kerberos authentication flow; shared host /tmp exposure permits directory ownership changes or cache-content overwrites of arbitrary files.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-31979
Published
Mar 11, 2026
Updated
Mar 11, 2026
Vendor
Himmelblau
Product
Himmelblau
Classifications
CWE-59, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Mar 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=>= 1.0.0, < 2.3.8
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 3.0.0-alpha, < 3.1.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Himmelblau · Himmelblauversion=>= 1.0.0, < 2.3.8; version=>= 3.0.0-alpha, < 3.1.0

Published CVSS scores

7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.8GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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.

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No observations available

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

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

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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