CVE-2026-13208
Kubevirt: virt-handler-rhel9: kubevirt: virt-handler notify server trusts vmi identity from unauthenticated grpc request body
Description
A flaw was found in KubeVirt's virt-handler domain notify server. The gRPC handlers for HandleDomainEvent and HandleK8SEvent derive the VMI identity (namespace/name) solely from the request body without validating it against the connection's origin. Each virt-launcher pod connects through a per-VMI pipe socket, but no identity tag is propagated from the pipe path to the server handlers. This allows a compromised virt-launcher process to send forged domain lifecycle events for any other VMI scheduled on the same node, causing virt-handler to erroneously update that VMI's state and disrupt its lifecycle management.
INFO
Published Date :
June 24, 2026, 9:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
July 6, 2026, 5:51 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-13208
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | |||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | 53f830b8-0a3f-465b-8143-3b8a9948e749 | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | MEDIUM | [email protected] |
Solution
- Validate VMI identity from request against connection origin.
- Propagate identity tag from pipe path to handlers.
- Update virt-handler and virt-launcher components.
- Apply relevant patches or updates for KubeVirt.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-13208.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13208 | Mitigation Vendor Advisory |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492220 | Issue Tracking Vendor Advisory |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-13208 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-13208
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-13208 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-13208 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
Initial Analysis by [email protected]
Jul. 06, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:kubevirt:kubevirt:-:*:*:*:*:kubernetes:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_virtualization:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions from (including) 4 up to (including) 4.22.0 Added Reference Type Red Hat, Inc.: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13208 Types: Mitigation, Vendor Advisory Added Reference Type Red Hat, Inc.: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492220 Types: Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory -
CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
Jun. 25, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-13208', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'no'}, {'technicalImpact': 'partial'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-06-25T15:32:58.431125Z'} -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Jun. 24, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:container_native_virtualization:4'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4', 'packageName': 'container-native-virtualization/virt-handler', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:container_native_virtualization:4'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization 4', 'packageName': 'container-native-virtualization/virt-handler-rhel9', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description A flaw was found in KubeVirt's virt-handler domain notify server. The gRPC handlers for HandleDomainEvent and HandleK8SEvent derive the VMI identity (namespace/name) solely from the request body without validating it against the connection's origin. Each virt-launcher pod connects through a per-VMI pipe socket, but no identity tag is propagated from the pipe path to the server handlers. This allows a compromised virt-launcher process to send forged domain lifecycle events for any other VMI scheduled on the same node, causing virt-handler to erroneously update that VMI's state and disrupt its lifecycle management. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H Added CWE CWE-287 Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-13208 Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2492220