CVE Intelligence
Medium File handling

CVE-2026-85518 — Openscap: openscap: arbitrary file write via path traversal in source datastream decomposition

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.

Published Oct 21, 2026 · Updated Oct 23, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: redhat

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+3
  • Technical severity (medium)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.27%
ahead of 18% of scored CVEs · Oct 22, 2026
Affects
Red Hat
Hardened Images and 4 more
CVSS base
6.1
Medium · 3 source(s)

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Red Hat Hardened Images, Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7…).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
  4. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Red Hat Hardened Images versions not specified by the source Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 versions not specified by the source Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 versions not specified by the source Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 versions not specified by the source Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 versions not specified by the source Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
Low

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
6.1 CVSS 3.1 Medium 1.8 4.2 secalert@redhat.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
6.1 CVSS 3.1 Medium — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
6.1 CVSS 3.1 Medium — — redhat via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L (score shown at the top: secalert@redhat.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-22 · Path Traversal

Other CVEs with this weakness →

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
  • Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).
endpoint telemetry (EDR)file integrity (FIM)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Source status changed · Received → Awaiting Analysis
    Oct 22, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Affected products added · red hat/red hat enterprise linux 10, red hat/red hat enterprise linux 7, red hat/red hat enterprise linux 8, red hat/red
    Oct 21, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 21, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 6.1
    Oct 21, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Received
    Oct 21, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 21, 2026 · Alertas do Telegram
  • CVE published
    Oct 21, 2026 · redhat

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 3× References added · Oct 21, 2026 – Oct 23, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 21, 2026 – Oct 21, 2026

References

5 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Red Hat
every CVE for this vendor
File handling
same class
CWE-22
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-115486 Open-iscsi: open-iscsi: ipv6 neighbor discovery missing option length validation in iscsiuio allows arp table poisoning 17h
  • CVE-2026-115484 Open-iscsi: open-iscsi: dhcpv4 option parser heap out-of-bounds read in iscsiuio parse_msg 17h
  • CVE-2026-115485 Open-iscsi: open-iscsi: dhcpv6 vendor option strlen heap out-of-bounds read and 1-byte write in iscsiuio 17h
  • CVE-2026-115449 Libslirp: libslirp: icmp echo reply length desynchronization leaks host ip to guest 20h
  • CVE-2026-115221 Ipa: freeipa: freeipa uses subject cn as proof of certificate ownership 20h
  • CVE-2026-115207 Patch: filename validation bypass in reversal fallback allows file creation outside the working directory 1d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No CISA SSVC assessment.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-85518 is "Openscap: openscap: arbitrary file write via path traversal in source datastream decomposition", rated Medium. It affects Hardened Images (Red Hat); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 6.1 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.27% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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