CVE-2026-82018: IGEL OS 12 / 11 Secure Boot Bypass via Unsigned igel.conf File
IGEL OS 12 before 12.9.0, 12.8.3 LTS and IGEL OS 11 before 11.11.150 contain a secure boot bypass vulnerability in the GRUB boot stage that allows physically present attackers to gain unauthorized root access by placing an unsigned empty file named igel.conf on a partition. Attackers can exploit GRUB's fail-open signature verification behavior to drop into an interactive GRUB prompt, then boot the device's own kernel with additional command-line arguments to obtain a root shell with the disk unlocked while leaving TPM PCR values unaltered.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
Which devices are exposed to this issue?
Affected systems are IGEL OS 12 releases before 12.9.0, IGEL OS 12 LTS releases before 12.8.3 LTS, and IGEL OS 11 releases before 11.11.150. Exploitation requires an attacker to be physically present at the device.
What access does an attacker need to exploit the bypass?
The attacker does not need prior privileges or user interaction, but must be able to place an unsigned empty file named igel.conf on a partition and interact with the device during boot. The fail-open GRUB signature-verification behavior can then provide an interactive GRUB prompt.
What is the impact after successful exploitation?
An attacker can boot the device's own kernel with additional command-line arguments to obtain a root shell while the disk is unlocked. TPM PCR values remain unaltered, so those measurements do not change as part of the described attack.