No analysis available yet.
Vendor Workaround
Do not run ansible.posix.authorized_key as root against home or .ssh directories that unprivileged users can modify. Verify that target directories are not attacker-controllable symlinks before running the task.
Tracking
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Thu, 12 Nov 2026 11:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | A link-following flaw was found in the authorized_key module of the ansible.posix collection, residual to the fix for CVE-2026-11837. That fix guards only the final path component (os.chown with follow_symlinks=False and O_NOFOLLOW in _safe_open_write()). When an unprivileged local user replaces their ~/.ssh directory with a symlink to a directory they do not own, and an operator subsequently runs the authorized_key task as root (a common provisioning pattern), the module resolves its path operations through the symlink: atomic_move() writes the temporary file in the symlink target and renames it to <target>/authorized_keys, creating or overwriting a file in the attacker-chosen directory, and os.chmod(sshdir, 0o700) follows the symlink and changes the target directory's permissions. The written file is chowned to the unprivileged user, so this is not a privilege escalation, but it allows an attacker to create or overwrite files (for example in /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/, which APT reads regardless of file ownership) to cause integrity and availability impacts. | |
| Title | Ansible.posix: authorized_key module follows a parent-directory symlink allowing writes outside the intended directory | |
| First Time appeared |
Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux |
|
| Weaknesses | CWE-59 | |
| CPEs | cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:10 cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:9 |
|
| Vendors & Products |
Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux |
|
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
|
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: redhat
Published:
Updated: 2026-11-12T10:50:16.148Z
Reserved: 2026-11-11T10:46:47.355Z
Link: CVE-2026-126644
No data.
Status : Awaiting Analysis
Published: 2026-11-12T11:17:11.770
Modified: 2026-11-12T11:17:11.920
Link: CVE-2026-126644
No data.
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
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CWE-59
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')