CVE-2026-13201: Kubevirt: virt-handler-rhel9: kubevirt: safepath symlink following in virt-handler enables notify socket hijacking and node-level vm disruption

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2026-13201 is a high (CVSS 7.3) UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following vulnerability in kubevirt. EPSS estimates a 0.31% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 23.6% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 24-06-2026
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 12-10-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

A flaw was found in KubeVirt's safepath package used by virt-handler. The OpenAtNoFollow function uses O_PATH|O_NOFOLLOW to obtain a file descriptor to a path leaf, but downstream operations resolve the path via /proc/self/fd/N using link-following syscalls. When the leaf is a symlink, the kernel dereferences it, defeating the intended no-follow protection. An attacker with access to a virt-launcher pod can exploit this to redirect virt-handler's IPC socket connections, including the notify socket used for VM domain lifecycle events. By hijacking this socket, the attacker can inject arbitrary domain events into virt-handler, causing it to take incorrect lifecycle actions, corrupt VM state in the Kubernetes API, or crash — resulting in sustained denial of VM management services for all virtual machines on the affected node. Additionally, the same symlink following flaw allows virt-handler to apply file ownership or permission changes to unintended host paths.

• CWE-61UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) FollowingThe product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.