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high · CVSS 7.8

CVE-2026-63622

Libvirt: swtpm privilege escalation via symlink following

Published 10 Aug 2026 · Source updated 4 Nov 2026 · Retrieved 2026-11-04 23:20 UTC

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What happened?

A flaw was found in libvirt. A local attacker, specifically a process running as the confined `swtpm` user, could exploit a symlink-following vulnerability in the `virFileChownFiles()` function. By planting a symbolic link within the `swtpm` state directory, the attacker could trick the root-level libvirt daemon into changing the ownership of an arbitrary file to the `swtpm` user. This allows for privilege escalation from the `swtpm` sandbox to root-level file ownership control.

Description supplied by CVE Program. Formatting is simplified; follow the original advisory for full details.

Affected software and versions

Source-provided software and version information
SoftwareVersion informationFixed version
libvirtRed Hatunaffected: 0:11.10.0-12.9.el10_2 to < *See vendor advisory
libvirtRed Hatunaffected: 0:10.10.0-8.11.el10_0 to < *See vendor advisory
libvirtRed Hatunaffected: 0:4.5.0-36.el7_9.7 to < *See vendor advisory
virt:rhelRed Hatunaffected: 8040020260916092751.522a0ee4 to < *See vendor advisory
virt:rhelRed Hatunaffected: 8040020260916092751.522a0ee4 to < *See vendor advisory
virt:rhelRed Hatunaffected: 8060020260910092451.ad008a3a to < *See vendor advisory
virt:rhelRed Hatunaffected: 8060020260910092451.ad008a3a to < *See vendor advisory
virt:rhelRed Hatunaffected: 8080020260910092120.63b34585 to < *See vendor advisory
virt:rhelRed Hatunaffected: 8080020260910092120.63b34585 to < *See vendor advisory
libvirtRed Hatunaffected: 0:11.10.0-12.7.el9_8 to < *See vendor advisory
libvirtRed Hatunaffected: 0:9.0.0-10.16.el9_2 to < *See vendor advisory
libvirtRed Hatunaffected: 0:10.0.0-6.23.el9_4 to < *See vendor advisory
libvirtRed Hatunaffected: 0:10.10.0-7.18.el9_6 to < *See vendor advisory
libvirtRed HatDefault status: unaffectedSee vendor advisory
virt:rhel/libvirtRed HatDefault status: affectedSee vendor advisory
libvirtRed HatDefault status: unknownSee vendor advisory

Version information comes from the source record and can include unaffected products and exceptions. Distribution packages may contain backported fixes: an older upstream version alone does not prove a server is affected.

Is it being exploited?

This CVE was not listed in the CISA catalogue at our last retrieval. This does not establish that exploitation is absent.

CISA data retrieved 2026-11-06 16:38 UTC. Check CISA ↗

How to respond

  1. Confirm the product, installed package version, and any configuration requirements in the vendor advisory.
  2. Follow the vendor’s remediation or workaround guidance in the references below. Structured fixed-version data is unavailable here; the publisher’s description may include a fix or workaround.
  3. Restart affected services if required, then verify the running version. Known exploitation may warrant investigation as well as patching.

Sources and remediation references

This public advisory does not determine whether a particular server is affected. Records are refreshed as sources change; verify urgent decisions against the original advisory.

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