CVE-2026-77159Public exploitHinoki check available

Arbitrary file ownership transfer via symlink-following chown

Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Symlink following in libvirt on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 through 10 allows local users to change ownership of arbitrary files. The qemuTPMEmulatorPrepareHost() function passes the swtpm logfile path to chown() without rejecting symbolic links, so root-run libvirtd follows a substituted link. Access to the swtpm account and an emulated-TPM domain start are required; default enforcing SELinux restricts the files reachable by swtpm.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.16%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkAvailable
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Summary

What happened

Symlink following in libvirt on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 through 10 allows local users to change ownership of arbitrary files. The qemuTPMEmulatorPrepareHost() function passes the swtpm logfile path to chown() without rejecting symbolic links, so root-run libvirtd follows a substituted link. Access to the swtpm account and an emulated-TPM domain start are required; default enforcing SELinux restricts the files reachable by swtpm.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-77159
Published
Sep 11, 2026
Updated
Sep 15, 2026
Vendor
Red Hat
Product
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Classifications
CWE-61, T1222.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 15, 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?

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

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9Affected versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

5.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-61UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following
T1222.002File and Directory Permissions Modification: Linux and Mac Permissions

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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