CVE-2026-12080
Received Received - Intake

Symbolic Link Race in QEMU Guest Agent Allows Root Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-07-20

Last updated on: 2026-07-20

Assigner: Red Hat, Inc.

Description
A flaw was found in the QEMU Guest Agent (qga). A local unprivileged user can exploit a vulnerability in the guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command handler by manipulating symbolic links. This can occur either through a deterministic directory-symlink bypass or a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) file-symlink race. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to gain ownership of arbitrary root-owned files or directories, leading to root access. This vulnerability requires an external management layer (e.g., libvirt) to trigger the affected code path.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-07-20
Last Modified
2026-07-20
Generated
2026-07-21
AI Q&A
2026-07-20
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-12080
EUVD
EUVD-2026-45941

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
qemu qemu_guest_agent *

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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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

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Executive Summary

CVE-2026-12080 is a local privilege escalation flaw in QEMU Guest Agent (qga). A local unprivileged user exploits a symlink vulnerability in the guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command handler. This occurs via either a directory-symlink bypass or a TOCTOU file-symlink race. The attacker gains ownership of root-owned files or directories, leading to root access. An external management layer like libvirt is required to trigger the affected code path.

Detection Guidance

Check if the QEMU Guest Agent (qga) is running on your system. Look for the guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command handler in logs or process listings. Examine .ssh directories for suspicious symlinks pointing to root-owned files. Monitor for unexpected ownership changes on root-owned files.

Impact Analysis

If you use QEMU Guest Agent with an external management layer like libvirt, a local attacker could exploit this to gain root access on your system. This could allow them to execute arbitrary commands, steal data, or install malware. The attack requires local access but no special privileges initially.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized root access, compromising system integrity and data confidentiality. For GDPR, it may result in unauthorized data access or processing. For HIPAA, it could expose protected health information. Compliance violations may occur if the vulnerability is exploited, leading to potential fines or legal consequences.

Mitigation Strategies

Disable the guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command handler in the QEMU Guest Agent configuration. Update QEMU to the latest patched version. Restrict local user permissions to prevent symlink manipulation. Monitor for unauthorized file ownership changes.

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