CVE-2026-113495 Red Hat CVE debrief

Who should care

Local system defenders, RHSM administrators, and teams responsible for managing Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems using cockpit-machines should assess exposure and verify inventory to mitigate potential information disclosure risks.

Why it matters

CVE-2026-113495 allows local, unprivileged attackers to view RHSM authentication tokens passed as command-line arguments in cockpit-machines, potentially disclosing sensitive information and allowing unauthorized access to RHSM resources. Local system defenders and RHSM administrators should assess exposure, verify inventory, and consider compensating controls.

• Local system defenders must assess exposure to cross-user process inspection risks
• RHSM administrators should verify inventory and monitor for suspicious activity
• Information disclosure may allow unauthorized access to RHSM resources within token validity periods
• Verification of cockpit-machines versions and compensating controls may be necessary

Technical summary

The cockpit-machines package passes Red Hat Subscription Management (RHSM) authentication tokens as command-line arguments to background helper processes during image retrieval operations. A local, unprivileged attacker on a system permitting cross-user process inspection can view these arguments while the process is active, potentially disclosing sensitive information. This vulnerability allows information disclosure, which could lead to unauthorized access to RHSM resources within the token's validity period. Local system defenders and RHSM administrators should assess exposure and verify inventory to mitigate potential risks.

Defensive priority

Medium priority for local system defenders and RHSM administrators to assess exposure and verify inventory, as the vulnerability allows information disclosure but does not support arbitrary code execution or remote exploitation.

Recommended defensive actions

• Assess exposure by verifying systems permitting cross-user process inspection
• Inventory and verify versions of cockpit-machines in use
• Monitor for suspicious local process inspection activity
• Consider compensating controls for RHSM resource access
• Review vendor guidance for patching or mitigating cockpit-machines vulnerability
• Perform asset inventory to identify potentially affected systems
• Track and monitor for potential exploitation attempts

Evidence notes

The CVE record and source item provide details on the vulnerability in cockpit-machines, where RHSM authentication tokens are passed as command-line arguments to background helper processes. A local, unprivileged attacker can view these arguments during process activity, potentially disclosing sensitive information.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.