CVE-2026-11837

What it is

A local privilege escalation vulnerability was found in the ansible.posix authorized_key module. The module's keyfile() function uses os.chown() instead of os.lchown() and opens files without O_NOFOLLOW when managing SSH authorized keys. An unprivileged local user can pre-stage symbolic links in their ~/.ssh directory to redirect file ownership changes to arbitrary system paths when an operator runs the authorized_key task as root, leading to local privilege escalation.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited locally on the machine with a low-privilege account, but needs a user to act. High risk of data exposure, data tampering, service disruption.

Exploit odds

0.2% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

No patch or advisory is linked yet. Look at mitigations or restrict exposure.

Timeline

1. 2026-06-10 05:16 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-11-04 22:17 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

• Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
• Exploit odds: 0.2% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
• Severity: 7.3 HIGH (CVSS).
• Fix: none linked yet, which raises it.

Details

Published

2026-06-10 05:16 UTC

Last modified

2026-11-04 22:17 UTC

Exploit probability

0.2% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-59

Record status

Awaiting Analysis

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.3

Attack vector

Local

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

Low

User interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Is it in your code?

Hand this to your coding agent. It searches your project for the affected products and checks versions. Nothing leaves your machine.

Read https://cve-list.com/agent/cve/CVE-2026-11837.md and follow it. Check whether this project is affected by CVE-2026-11837. Read only. Don't change anything and don't upload my code. Tell me yes, no or not sure, with the file as proof.

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