RLSA-2026:88421: Local privilege escalation in qemu-kvm guest agent
Summary
RLSA-2026:88421: A local attacker with limited privileges may gain elevated privileges on the host through a symlink attack. Affects qemu-kvm versions < 7:10.1.0-17.el9_8.9. Fixed in 7:10.1.0-17.el9_8.9. How to fix ↓
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Background
qemu-kvm is a virtualization package in the Rocky Linux:9 ecosystem. It provides the user-space component for running virtual machines that use Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), a Linux virtualization solution available across multiple architectures. The package supports running and managing KVM-based virtual machines.
Vulnerability Detail
A local attacker may achieve privilege escalation through a symlink attack in the qemu-guest-agent component's guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys function. The issue affects qemu-kvm in Rocky Linux:9. Successful exploitation can allow a local user with limited privileges to gain elevated privileges. The advisory also lists bug fixes and enhancements, but those are separate from the security issue.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
7:10.1.0-17.el9_8.9
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo dnf update qemu-kvmTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
AI-generated workaround (not vendor-documented): Restrict access to the affected guest-agent operation and avoid invoking guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys with paths that an untrusted local user can manipulate. Review local access to guest-agent functionality until the fixed version is installed.
Conclusion
Upgrade qemu-kvm to the minimum fixed version 7:10.1.0-17.el9_8.9. Restrict access to the affected guest-agent operation while upgrading, especially where untrusted local users can manipulate relevant paths. The advisory identifies a local privilege-escalation issue in the guest agent. Vulert monitors the dependencies in a manifest file like package-lock.json and alerts when a new vulnerability affects them; check an application at https://vulert.com/scanner.
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FAQ
The advisory marks qemu-kvm as affected from version 0 through versions before 7:10.1.0-17.el9_8.9.
An attacker with local access may exploit a symlink attack in qemu-guest-agent to escalate privileges.
Upgrade qemu-kvm to the minimum fixed version 7:10.1.0-17.el9_8.9.
Restrict access to the affected guest-agent operation and prevent untrusted local users from manipulating paths it uses.
Check the application's manifest or SBOM for qemu-kvm. Vulert can scan a manifest or SBOM and monitor the dependency at Vulert Scanner.
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