How severe is CVE-2026-11837?

CVE-2026-11837 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2026-11837 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (3rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2026-11837?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

Does CVE-2026-11837 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2026-11837 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-35982.

When was CVE-2026-11837 published?

CVE-2026-11837 was published on 2026-06-10 and last updated on 2026-07-08.

CVE-2026-11837

CVE-2026-11837 is a high-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-59.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.3)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (3rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2026-35982
Weakness: CWE-59
Published: 2026-06-10
Last modified: 2026-07-08

Description

A local privilege escalation vulnerability was found in the ansible.posix authorized_key module. The module's keyfile() function uses os.chown() instead of os.lchown() and opens files without O_NOFOLLOW when managing SSH authorized keys. An unprivileged local user can pre-stage symbolic links in their ~/.ssh directory to redirect file ownership changes to arbitrary system paths when an operator runs the authorized_key task as root, leading to local privilege escalation.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-11837?: A local privilege escalation vulnerability was found in the ansible.posix authorized_key module. The module's keyfile() function uses os.chown() instead of os.lchown() and opens files without O_NOFOLLOW when managing SSH authorized keys. An unprivileged local user can pre-stage symbolic links in their ~/.ssh directory to redirect file ownership changes to arbitrary system paths when an operator runs the authorized_key task as root, leading to local privilege escalation.
How severe is CVE-2026-11837?: CVE-2026-11837 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2026-11837 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (3rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-11837?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2026-11837 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2026-11837 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-35982.
When was CVE-2026-11837 published?: CVE-2026-11837 was published on 2026-06-10 and last updated on 2026-07-08.

References

Other CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (Link Following)) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2024-28189 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Judge0 is an open-source online code execution system. The application uses the UNIX chown command on an untrusted file…
CVE-2024-28185 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Judge0 is an open-source online code execution system. The application does not account for symlinks placed inside the…
CVE-2022-22995 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The combination of primitives offered by SMB and AFP in their default configuration allows the arbitrary writing of…
CVE-2014-4480 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Directory traversal vulnerability in afc in AppleFileConduit in Apple iOS before 8.1.3 and Apple TV before 7.0.3 allows…
CVE-2002-2374 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in pprosetup in Sun PatchPro 2.0 has unknown impact and attack vectors related to "unsafe use…

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