---
id: CVE-2026-91203
title: A flaw was found in cockpit-files
summary: >-
  A flaw was found in cockpit-files. This vulnerability allows a local attacker
  to exploit a timing issue, known as a symlink race condition, during
  privileged file operations such as changing file ownership or permissions. By
  manipulating…
severity: medium
cvss: 6
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-363
vendor: Red Hat
product: cockpit-files
affected:
  - cockpit-files (all versions)
  - cockpit-files (all versions)
published: '2026-09-18'
updated: '2026-09-21'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-21T19:17:15.757'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-91203'
references:
  - url: 'https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-91203'
    label: secalert@redhat.com
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2465632'
    label: secalert@redhat.com
  - url: 'https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2465632'
    label: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
  - url: >-
      https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-91203.json
  - url: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-91203'
  - url: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-91203'
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
  - exploit-available
  - csaf
  - vex
  - red-hat
exploitAvailable: true
ssvc:
  exploitation: poc
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-09-21T18:33:36.021558Z'
epss: 0.00075
epssPercentile: 0.00099
ingestedAt: '2026-09-18T19:49:30.595Z'
---

## Overview

A flaw was found in cockpit-files. This vulnerability allows a local attacker to exploit a timing issue, known as a symlink race condition, during privileged file operations such as changing file ownership or permissions. By manipulating directory entries and winning this race, the attacker can redirect these operations to unintended files. This could lead to unauthorized changes in file ownership and permissions on arbitrary files, potentially compromising system integrity and availability by altering system or application states or rendering services unusable.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.

## Vendor advisories

- **Red Hat VEX** · Moderate · affected: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 · no fix planned: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 · updated 2026-09-18 · [vex](https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-91203.json)