CVE-2026-13218 (CVSS 4.2)

Description

A flaw was found in KubeVirt's virt-handler network cache handling. The WriteToCachedFile function writes data to a launcher-rooted path using os.WriteFile and os.Chown without symlink protection. A user with access to the virt-launcher container can plant a symlink at the cache file path, causing virt-handler to follow it and overwrite an arbitrary host file with JSON content and change its ownership.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

4.2

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:L

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0011

Probability of exploitation

0.01%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-61 CWE-61

References

Other References

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13218 https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492654

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-13218? +

A flaw was found in KubeVirt's virt-handler network cache handling. The WriteToCachedFile function writes data to a launcher-rooted path using os.WriteFile and os.Chown without symlink protection. A user with access to the virt-launcher container can plant a symlink at the cache file path, causing virt-handler to follow it and overwrite an arbitrary host file with JSON content and change its ownership. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.2 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-13218? +

CVE-2026-13218 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.2 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0011, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-13218? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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