CVE-2026-9804: KubeVirt path traversal in virt-exportserver via symlink escape

CVE-2026-9804 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.7 · Published 2026-05-28

KubeVirt is a tool that allows Kubernetes to manage virtual machines alongside standard containers. A security flaw in its data export component allows an attacker with basic access to a project to trick the system into reading files they shouldn't see. This could lead to the theft of sensitive configuration files or credentials from the underlying server infrastructure.

Technologies: kubevirt.io/kubevirt (Go), KubeVirt. Vendors: Go, KubeVirt.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-9804 exploited in the wild?
No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-9804 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-9804?
High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.7, published 28 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?
kubevirt.io/kubevirt (Go) <= 1.9.0-beta.0, SEMVER:introduced=0, SEMVER:introduced=0,last_affected=1.9.0-beta.0; KubeVirt <= 1.9.0-beta.0, unspecified.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-9804?
A patch was published on 2026-06-22: Red Hat released patches for OpenShift Virtualization Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-9804 attacked?
It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-9804?
Check whether you run kubevirt.io/kubevirt (Go) or KubeVirt 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

A path traversal vulnerability exists in the KubeVirt virt-exportserver component's VMExport directory endpoint. The root cause is the use of Go's http.FileServer(http.Dir(mountPoint)), which follows symbolic links by default. An attacker with namespace-level permissions can create a symbolic link within an exported filesystem Persistent Volume Claim (PVC) that points to locations outside the designated mount root. By then accessing the VMExport directory endpoint with a valid token, the attacker can retrieve arbitrary files from the exporter pod's filesystem. This specifically affects PVCs without the 'cdi.kubevirt.io/storage.contentType' annotation. A fix is available in the KubeVirt main branch and various Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization releases.

Affected products

  • KubeVirt KubeVirt <= 1.9.0-beta.0
  • Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20, 4.21

Identifiers

  • CVE-2026-9804
  • GHSA-mpmf-3w4r-qfpf
  • GO-2026-5883

Timeline

  • 2026-05-28: disclosed
  • 2026-05-28: advisory
  • 2026-06-22: patched: Red Hat released patches for OpenShift Virtualization

References

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