CVE-2026-77159 (CVSS 5.5)

Description

A symlink-following flaw was found in libvirt's qemuTPMEmulatorPrepareHost() function. The function uses a path-based chown() on the swtpm logfile without checking for symbolic links. A local attacker with access to the swtpm account can replace the logfile with a symlink, causing libvirtd (running as root) to transfer ownership of an arbitrary file to the swtpm user.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

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

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0016

Probability of exploitation

0.06%

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-2026-77159 https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2531811 https://gitlab.com/libvirt/libvirt/-/work_items/909 https://gitlab.com/libvirt/libvirt/-/work_items/909

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-77159? +

A symlink-following flaw was found in libvirt's qemuTPMEmulatorPrepareHost() function. The function uses a path-based chown() on the swtpm logfile without checking for symbolic links. A local attacker with access to the swtpm account can replace the logfile with a symlink, causing libvirtd (running as root) to transfer ownership of an arbitrary file to the swtpm user. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-77159? +

CVE-2026-77159 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0016, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-77159? +

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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