REDHAT-BUG-2492654: Medium severity Kubevirt virt-handler vulnerability
A flaw was found in KubeVirt's network cache handling in virt-handler. The WriteToCachedFile function in pkg/network/cache/cache.go writes network cache data to a path under /proc/<launcherPid>/root/var/run/kubevirt-private/ using os.WriteFile and then changes ownership using os.Chown. Neither operation uses ONOFOLLOW or the safepath package to prevent symlink traversal. Since virt-handler operates in the host mount namespace (only the network namespace is entered via setns), a symlink planted by a compromised virt-launcher process at the cache file path causes virt-handler to follow the symlink and write to an arbitrary host file, overwriting its content with JSON data and changing its ownership to uid 107. This constitutes a container-to-host file write primitive, though with constrained content (serialized JSON network cache data). The vulnerable code path is triggered only for bridge/non-masquerade interfaces (via the discoverbridge path in vm.go -> netconf.go -> cache.go). The default masquerade binding does not exercise this path.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of REDHAT-BUG-2492654?
The severity of REDHAT-BUG-2492654 is medium, rated at 4.
How do I fix REDHAT-BUG-2492654?
To mitigate REDHAT-BUG-2492654, apply the latest patches provided for KubeVirt to ensure proper handling of network cache data.
What products are affected by REDHAT-BUG-2492654?
REDHAT-BUG-2492654 affects the KubeVirt virt-handler component.
What is the description of REDHAT-BUG-2492654?
REDHAT-BUG-2492654 describes a flaw in KubeVirt's network cache handling in virt-handler that improperly manages file ownership.
When was REDHAT-BUG-2492654 published?
REDHAT-BUG-2492654 was published on June 25, 2026.