KubeVirt safepath Package Symlink Race Condition

Publication date: 2026-06-24

Last updated on: 2026-07-06

Assigner: Red Hat, Inc.

Description

A flaw was found in KubeVirt's safepath package used by virt-handler. The OpenAtNoFollow function uses O_PATH|O_NOFOLLOW to obtain a file descriptor to a path leaf, but downstream operations resolve the path via /proc/self/fd/N using link-following syscalls. When the leaf is a symlink, the kernel dereferences it, defeating the intended no-follow protection. An attacker with access to a virt-launcher pod can exploit this to redirect virt-handler's IPC socket connections, including the notify socket used for VM domain lifecycle events. By hijacking this socket, the attacker can inject arbitrary domain events into virt-handler, causing it to take incorrect lifecycle actions, corrupt VM state in the Kubernetes API, or crash — resulting in sustained denial of VM management services for all virtual machines on the affected node. Additionally, the same symlink following flaw allows virt-handler to apply file ownership or permission changes to unintended host paths.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-06-24

Last Modified

2026-07-06

Generated

2026-07-15

AI Q&A

2026-06-25

EPSS Evaluated

2026-07-13

NVD

CVE-2026-13201

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
kubevirt	kubevirt	*
redhat	openshift_virtualization	From 4 (inc) to 4.22.0 (inc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-61	The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in KubeVirt's safepath package, specifically in the OpenAtNoFollow function. The function attempts to safely obtain a file descriptor to a path leaf without following symbolic links by using O_PATH and O_NOFOLLOW flags. However, downstream helper functions access the file descriptor via /proc/self/fd/N and use system calls that follow symbolic links. As a result, if the path leaf is a symbolic link, the kernel dereferences it, bypassing the intended protection against following symlinks.

An attacker who has access to a virt-launcher pod can exploit this flaw to trick the virt-handler component into applying file ownership or permission changes to an unintended path on the host system, potentially affecting files outside the intended scope.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can allow an attacker with access to a virt-launcher pod to cause the virt-handler to modify file ownership or permissions on unintended host paths. This could lead to unauthorized changes to critical files or directories on the host system, potentially compromising system integrity or security.

Because the attacker can influence file permissions or ownership on the host, this may enable privilege escalation, unauthorized access, or disruption of services running on the host.

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