CVE-2026-58015
Description
A flaw was found in GLib. The D-Bus client-side implementation of the DBUS_COOKIE_SHA1 SASL authentication mechanism does not validate the cookie_context parameter received from the server. A malicious D-Bus server can supply a cookie_context containing path traversal sequences, causing the client to read an arbitrary file and exfiltrate sensitive data by verifying guessed file contents against a generated hash.
Statement
To exploit this flaw, an attacker must be in a position to perform a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack on the connection or operate a malicious server that the client connects to. Furthermore, extracting data requires an oracle attack (guessing and hashing), increasing the complexity of exploitation. However, if successful, this issue allows the exfiltration of sensitive secrets, such as SSH keys or API tokens, from the filesystem. Due to these reasons, this vulnerability has been rated with a moderate severity.
Mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability, ensure that applications only connect to trusted D-Bus servers and operate within secure, isolated networks to prevent man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. If feasible, configuring the D-Bus connection to strictly require the EXTERNAL authentication mechanism and disabling DBUS_COOKIE_SHA1 will completely neutralize this issue.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 5.9 | 7.5 | 5.9 |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | Low | High |
| Privileges Required | None | None | None |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | High | High |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | None |
| Availability Impact | None | None | None |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Red Hat CVSS v3 Score Explanation
To exploit this flaw, an attacker must be in a position to perform a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack on the connection or operate a malicious server that the client connects to. Furthermore, extracting data requires an oracle attack (guessing and hashing). These prerequisites increase the complexity of exploitation. To reflect these conditions, the attack complexity metric is set to high.
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
The attacker may be able to create or overwrite critical files that are used to execute code, such as programs or libraries.
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Files or Directories
The attacker may be able to overwrite or create critical files, such as programs, libraries, or important data. If the targeted file is used for a security mechanism, then the attacker may be able to bypass that mechanism. For example, appending a new account at the end of a password file may allow an attacker to bypass authentication.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories
The attacker may be able read the contents of unexpected files and expose sensitive data. If the targeted file is used for a security mechanism, then the attacker may be able to bypass that mechanism. For example, by reading a password file, the attacker could conduct brute force password guessing attacks in order to break into an account on the system.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
The attacker may be able to overwrite, delete, or corrupt unexpected critical files such as programs, libraries, or important data. This may prevent the product from working at all and in the case of protection mechanisms such as authentication, it has the potential to lock out product users.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Thepwnisher for reporting this issue.
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