High severity · published Aug 11, 2026
CVE-2026-72693
Kbd: local privilege escalation in openvt via incorrect process owner verification allowing passwordless root login
7.8
CVSS
0.1%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
`openvt -u` is intended to identify the owner of the current VT and then execute `login` as that user from a privileged context. In the documented `kbrequest`/init usage, the ownership test in `authenticate_user()` relies on `stat("/proc/<pid>/fd/0")`. `stat()` on `/proc/<pid>/fd/0` follows the symlink to the underlying TTY device node. As a result, `buf.st_uid` reflects the owner of the TTY node rather than the owner of the process holding the file descriptor. If the TTY owner returns to `root` or the getty owner after logout while an unprivileged process still has `fd 0` attached to that TTY, the check can incorrectly treat that process as belonging to the privileged console owner. Once that check succeeds, the `-u` path executes a passwordless login as the selected user. In the documented `kbrequest`/init deployment using `openvt -us`, this can result in passwordless `login -f root` on the spawned VT. This report establishes that privilege escalation path for that documented deployment; it does not claim equivalent reachability for deployments that do not use `openvt -u` from a privileged `kbrequest`/init path.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.1% · higher than 1% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
RH
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
RH
Red Hat Hardened Images · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
RH
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
RH
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 · Red Hat
All versions, or not specified · source: vendor
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72693
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72693
vendor-advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:41136
vendor-advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57597
vendor-advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:57610
vendor-advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:60440
vendor-advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:66357
vendor-advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:78951
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