Symlink Following Affecting qemu package, versions *


Severity

Recommended
medium

Based on Ubuntu security rating.

Threat Intelligence

EPSS
0.18% (8th percentile)

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  • Snyk IDSNYK-UBUNTU2404-QEMU-18068939
  • published21 Aug 2026
  • disclosed20 Jul 2026

Introduced: 20 Jul 2026

CVE-2026-12080  (opens in a new tab)
CWE-61  (opens in a new tab)

How to fix?

There is no fixed version for Ubuntu:24.04 qemu.

NVD Description

Note: Versions mentioned in the description apply only to the upstream qemu package and not the qemu package as distributed by Ubuntu. See How to fix? for Ubuntu:24.04 relevant fixed versions and status.

A flaw was found in the QEMU Guest Agent (qga). A local unprivileged user can exploit a vulnerability in the guest-ssh-add-authorized-keys command handler by manipulating symbolic links. This can occur either through a deterministic directory-symlink bypass or a Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) file-symlink race. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to gain ownership of arbitrary root-owned files or directories, leading to root access. This vulnerability requires an external management layer (e.g., libvirt) to trigger the affected code path.

CVSS Base Scores

version 3.1