# CVE-2026-18157: Red Hat yggdrasil-worker-package-manager argument injection in APT backend

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-18157-red-hat-yggdrasil-worker-package-manager-argument-injection-in  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-07-31. Updated: 2026-07-31  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-18157 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-07-31

A security vulnerability exists in the yggdrasil-worker-package-manager, a tool used to manage software packages on Linux systems. An attacker with local access to the system can provide specially crafted package names that are misinterpreted as administrative commands. This could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with full administrative (root) privileges, potentially leading to a complete system takeover and data theft.

Technologies: [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-10). Vendors: [Red Hat](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/red-hat).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-18157 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-18157 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-18157?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 31 July 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 yggdrasil-worker-package-manager-0.2.3-4.el10; Red Hat Yggdrasil-Worker-Package-Manager < 0.1.4, 0.2.0 - 0.2.4.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-18157?** A patch was published on 2026-07-30: Fix committed and versions 0.1.4/0.2.4 released Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-18157 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-18157?** Check whether you run Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 or Red Hat Yggdrasil-Worker-Package-Manager at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

An argument injection vulnerability exists in the APT backend of yggdrasil-worker-package-manager within `package_manager_apt.go`. The application fails to use an option terminator (`--`) when passing user-supplied package names to the `apt-get` command. A local attacker with permission to dispatch requests to the worker can provide package names starting with a hyphen (e.g., `-o...`), which `apt-get` interprets as configuration options rather than package names. This can be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution with root privileges by injecting dangerous APT configuration directives. The issue is fixed in versions 0.1.4 and 0.2.4.

## Affected products

- Red Hat yggdrasil-worker-package-manager < 0.1.4, 0.2.0 - 0.2.4
- Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 yggdrasil-worker-package-manager-0.2.3-4.el10

## Timeline

- 2026-05-04: other: Reported to Red Hat Bugzilla
- 2026-07-30: patched: Fix committed and versions 0.1.4/0.2.4 released
- 2026-07-31: advisory: NVD publication date

## References

- [https://github.com/RedHatInsights/yggdrasil-worker-package-manager](https://github.com/RedHatInsights/yggdrasil-worker-package-manager)
- [https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/)
- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-18157](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-18157)
- [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2465250](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2465250)
- [https://github.com/RedHatInsights/yggdrasil-worker-package-manager/commit/959745bb5917c17f0316af199aace6c71baa5ad7](https://github.com/RedHatInsights/yggdrasil-worker-package-manager/commit/959745bb5917c17f0316af199aace6c71baa5ad7)
- [https://github.com/RedHatInsights/yggdrasil-worker-package-manager/releases/tag/0.1.4](https://github.com/RedHatInsights/yggdrasil-worker-package-manager/releases/tag/0.1.4)
- [https://github.com/RedHatInsights/yggdrasil-worker-package-manager/releases/tag/0.2.4](https://github.com/RedHatInsights/yggdrasil-worker-package-manager/releases/tag/0.2.4)

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