# CVE-2026-91151: Cockpit symlink dereference privilege escalation

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91151-a-flaw-was-found-in-cockpit-a-local-authenticated-user-with  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-11-11. Updated: 2026-11-11  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-91151 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.3 · Published 2026-11-11

Cockpit is a system administration web interface that manages Linux servers and systems. A local user with access to another account's home directory can exploit insecure symlink handling in the public key addition helper to gain elevated privileges and compromise system integrity. This requires the attacker to be already authenticated on the system and trick an administrator into using the "Add public key" feature, but could lead to full system compromise.

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-91151 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-91151 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-91151?** High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.3, published 11 November 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Cockpit prior to 372.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-91151?** Yes: fixed in Cockpit 372. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-91151 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a web application.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-91151?** Check whether you run Cockpit 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.

## How to fix

- Fixed in Cockpit 372

## Technical details

A symlink dereference vulnerability (CWE-59) exists in the ssh-add-public-key.sh helper script that runs with elevated privileges. An authenticated local attacker with control over a target account's home directory can create malicious symlinks in the .ssh or authorized_keys paths to redirect privileged filesystem operations, allowing arbitrary file ownership and mode changes. This requires local access, user interaction (a privileged Cockpit session performing the public key add workflow), and existing authentication.

## Affected products

- Cockpit prior to 372

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: disclosed

## References

- [https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/)
- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-91151](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-91151)