CVE-2026-85518
Openscap: openscap: arbitrary file write via path traversal in source datastream decomposition
What happened?
A flaw was found in OpenSCAP. When decomposing a Source DataStream (SDS) file, the application does not properly validate relative file path attributes, leading to a path traversal vulnerability. An attacker can exploit this flaw by tricking a user or automated system into decomposing a crafted datastream containing directory traversal sequences. Successful exploitation allows unauthorized file creation or modification outside the intended target directory with the permissions of the executing process.
Affected software and versions
| Software | Version information | Fixed version |
|---|---|---|
| openscap-mainRed Hat | unaffected: 1.4.5-2.1.hum1 to < * | See vendor advisory |
| openscapRed Hat | Default status: affected | See vendor advisory |
| openscapRed Hat | Default status: unknown | See vendor advisory |
| openscapRed Hat | Default status: affected | See vendor advisory |
| openscapRed Hat | Default status: affected | See vendor advisory |
| openscapRed Hat | Default status: affected | See 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.
How to respond
- Confirm the product, installed package version, and any configuration requirements in the vendor advisory.
- 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.
- Restart affected services if required, then verify the running version. Known exploitation may warrant investigation as well as patching.