ansible authorized_key LPE via untrusted symlink
CVE-2026-11837 Published on June 10, 2026

Ansible-collection-ansible-posix: ansible.posix authorized_key: local privilege escalation via symlink-following chown
A local privilege escalation vulnerability was found in the ansible.posix authorized_key module. The module's keyfile() function uses os.chown() instead of os.lchown() and opens files without O_NOFOLLOW when managing SSH authorized keys. An unprivileged local user can pre-stage symbolic links in their ~/.ssh directory to redirect file ownership changes to arbitrary system paths when an operator runs the authorized_key task as root, leading to local privilege escalation.

Vendor Advisory Vendor Advisory Vendor Advisory NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-11837 can be exploited with local system access, requires user interaction and a small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.

Attack Vector:
LOCAL
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
LOW
User Interaction:
REQUIRED
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
HIGH
Integrity Impact:
HIGH
Availability Impact:
HIGH

Timeline

Reported to Red Hat.

Made public. 3 days later.

Weakness Type

What is an insecure temporary file Vulnerability?

The software attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

CVE-2026-11837 has been classified to as an insecure temporary file vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-11837

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
 
Red Hat Openstack
 
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Eus
 
Red Hat Rhel Aus
 
Red Hat Rhel Eus Long Life
 
Red Hat Rhel E4s
 
Red Hat Rhel Tus
 

Affected Versions

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP Solutions: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 17.1: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 17.1: Red Hat OpenStack Platform 18.0:

Exploit Probability

EPSS
0.16%
Percentile
4.58%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.