HighCVE-2026-72693

    Red Hat: Improper Access Control (CVE-2026-72693)

    Published Last modified Sources: BSI, SUSE, CVE.org, Red Hat, Msrc Update Guide

    What is affected, what to do

    `openvt -u` is intended to identify the owner of the current VT and then execute `login` as that user from a privileged context. In the documented `kbrequest`/init usage, the ownership test in `authenticate_user()` relies on `stat("/proc/<pid>/fd/0")`. `stat()` on `/proc/<pid>/fd/0` follows the symlink to the underlying TTY device node.

    Update Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 to version 0:2.6.4-8.el10_2, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 to version 0:2.0.4-11.el8_10.1, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 to version 0:2.4.0-12.el9_8.

    Affected
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 lt *..0:2.6.4-8.el10_2
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 lt *..0:2.0.4-11.el8_10.1
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 lt *..0:2.4.0-12.el9_8
    • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 lt *..4.22.9.8.202608251819-0
    • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 lt *..4.22.9.8.202609081748-0
    • Red Hat Hardened Images lt *..2.10.0-2.hum1
    Fixed in
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 0:2.6.4-8.el10_2
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 0:2.0.4-11.el8_10.1
    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 0:2.4.0-12.el9_8
    • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 4.22.9.8.202608251819-0
    • Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 4.22.9.8.202609081748-0
    • Red Hat Hardened Images 2.10.0-2.hum1

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    7.8

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    7.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: BSI, SUSE, CVE.org, Red Hat, Msrc Update Guide

    0.1 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 1.3

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    High
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    62.09 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    no public PoC known
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    7.8 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    7.8
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    0.1 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    1.3
    Low — this CVE sits in the lower 10% of all CVEs scored today.
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    —
    Published
    CWE

    CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.

    Read in glossary
    CWE-284

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    `openvt -u` is intended to identify the owner of the current VT and then execute `login` as that user from a privileged context. In the documented `kbrequest`/init usage, the ownership test in `authenticate_user()` relies on `stat("/proc/<pid>/fd/0")`. `stat()` on `/proc/<pid>/fd/0` follows the symlink to the underlying TTY device node. As a result, `buf.st_uid` reflects the owner of the TTY node rather than the owner of the process holding the file descriptor. If the TTY owner returns to `root` or the getty owner after logout while an unprivileged process still has `fd 0` attached to that TTY, the check can incorrectly treat that process as belonging to the privileged console owner. Once that check succeeds, the `-u` path executes a passwordless login as the selected user. In the documented `kbrequest`/init deployment using `openvt -us`, this can result in passwordless `login -f root` on the spawned VT. This report establishes that privilege escalation path for that documented deployment; it does not claim equivalent reachability for deployments that do not use `openvt -u` from a privileged `kbrequest`/init path.

    Source: BSI WID Portal, BSI CSAF, suse_csaf, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), redhat_csaf, Microsoft Security Update Guide

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 10
    • < 0:2.6.4-8.el10_2
    • 0:2.6.4-8.el10_2
    Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 6
    • —
    • —
    Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 7
    • —
    • —
    Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 8
    • < 0:2.0.4-11.el8_10.1
    • 0:2.0.4-11.el8_10.1
    Red HatRed Hat Enterprise Linux 9
    • < 0:2.4.0-12.el9_8
    • 0:2.4.0-12.el9_8
    Red HatRed Hat Hardened Images
    • < 2.10.0-2.hum1
    • 2.10.0-2.hum1
    Red HatRed Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
    • —
    • —
    Red HatRed Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22
    • < 4.22.9.8.202609081748-0
    • < 4.22.9.8.202608251819-0
    • 4.22.9.8.202609081748-0
    • 4.22.9.8.202608251819-0
    Red HatEnterprise Linux
    • 10
    • Hardened Images RPMs
    • 9
    • —
    • —
    • —

    Vendors and products

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-284Improper Access Control

      Pillar

      The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.

      Entry at MITRE CWE-284

    References & sources

    Changes to this CVE

    Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).

    1. Record modifiedRed Hat

      Show 2 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/72xxx/CVE-2026-72693.json">CVE-2026-72693</a>
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:78951

      Source identifier: secalert@redhat.com

    2. Record modifiedRed Hat

      1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)

      Show the original change
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/72xxx/CVE-2026-72693.json">CVE-2026-72693</a>

      Source identifier: secalert@redhat.com

    3. Record modifiedRed Hat

      Show 2 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/72xxx/CVE-2026-72693.json">CVE-2026-72693</a>
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:66357

      Source identifier: secalert@redhat.com

    4. Record modifiedRed Hat

      1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)

      Show the original change
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/72xxx/CVE-2026-72693.json">CVE-2026-72693</a>

      Source identifier: secalert@redhat.com

    5. Record modifiedRed Hat

      Show 11 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/72xxx/CVE-2026-72693.json">CVE-2026-72693</a>
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41136
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57597
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57610
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-72693
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2462115
      Referenceremoved
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41136
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57597
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57610
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-72693
      —
      Referenceremoved
      https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2462115
      —

      Source identifier: secalert@redhat.com

    Show 4 older changes

    1. Record modifiedRed Hat

      1 individual change: Affected versions (publisher)

      Show the original change
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)changed
      Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat Hardened Images (+4)
      Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat Hardened Images (+4)

      Source identifier: secalert@redhat.com

    2. Record modifiedRed Hat

      Show 3 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57597
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57610
      Affected versions (publisher)changed
      Red Hat Hardened Images, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (+4)
      Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, Red Hat Hardened Images (+4)

      Source identifier: secalert@redhat.com

    3. Record modifiedCISA ADP

      CISA assessment (SSVC): exploitation: none known, automatable: no

      Show the original change
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      SSVC assessmentadded
      —
      {"id":"CVE-2026-72693","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"none"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-08-11T17:44:26.656399Z"}

      Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    4. ReceivedRed Hat

      CVSS V3.1: AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

      Weakness type: CWE-284

      Description added or changed

      Show 6 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 (+4)
      Descriptionadded
      —
      `openvt -u` is intended to identify the owner of the current VT and then execute `login` as that user from a privileged context. In the documented `kbrequest`/init usage, the ownership test in `authenticate_user()` relies on `stat("/proc/<pid>/fd/0")`. `stat()` on `/proc/<pid>/fd/0` follows the symlink to the underlying TTY device node. As a result, `buf.st_uid` reflects the owner of the TTY node rather than the owner of the process holding the file descriptor. If the TTY owner returns to `root` or the getty owner after logout while an unprivileged process still has `fd 0` attached to that TTY, the check can incorrectly treat that process as belonging to the privileged console owner. Once that check succeeds, the `-u` path executes a passwordless login as the selected user. In the documented `kbrequest`/init deployment using `openvt -us`, this can result in passwordless `login -f root` on the spawned VT. This report establishes that privilege escalation path for that documented deployment; it does not claim equivalent reachability for deployments that do not use `openvt -u` from a privileged `kbrequest`/init path.
      CVSSadded
      —
      AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
      Weakness type (CWE)added
      —
      CWE-284
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-72693
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2462115

      Source identifier: secalert@redhat.com

    Embed badge

    Show the severity and KEV status of this vulnerability on your site – with a link back here. The image is updated hourly.

    Badge preview for CVE-2026-72693
    <a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2026-72693"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2026-72693.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2026-72693 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>