CVE-2026-15816
Dracut: dracut: root code execution via unescaped error message written to sourced emergency hook script in die()
Description
A flaw was found in dracut. The die() error-handling function writes its message into a shell script under the initramfs emergency-hook directory without properly shell-quoting it. When the message contains data derived from the DHCP ROOT_PATH option, an attacker on the adjacent network who controls a rogue DHCP server can inject a command-substitution sequence that executes as root the next time dracut sources its emergency hook scripts during standard boot-failure handling.
INFO
Published Date :
Aug. 7, 2026, 11:17 a.m.
Last Modified :
Aug. 7, 2026, 11:17 a.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-15816
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 3.1 | HIGH | 53f830b8-0a3f-465b-8143-3b8a9948e749 | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | HIGH | MITRE-CVE |
Solution
- Update dracut to the latest version.
- Ensure error messages are properly shell-quoted.
- Review DHCP ROOT_PATH handling.
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-2026-15816.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-15816 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-2026-15816
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-2026-15816 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-15816 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.
-
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Aug. 07, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Affected [{'cpes': ['cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10', 'packageName': 'dracut', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6', 'packageName': 'dracut', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'unknown'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7', 'packageName': 'dracut', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8', 'packageName': 'dracut', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9', 'packageName': 'dracut', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:hummingbird:1'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat Hardened Images', 'packageName': 'dracut', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'unaffected'}, {'cpes': ['cpe:/a:redhat:openshift:4'], 'vendor': 'Red Hat', 'product': 'Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4', 'packageName': 'rhcos', 'collectionURL': 'https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/', 'defaultStatus': 'affected'}] Added Description A flaw was found in dracut. The die() error-handling function writes its message into a shell script under the initramfs emergency-hook directory without properly shell-quoting it. When the message contains data derived from the DHCP ROOT_PATH option, an attacker on the adjacent network who controls a rogue DHCP server can inject a command-substitution sequence that executes as root the next time dracut sources its emergency hook scripts during standard boot-failure handling. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Added CWE CWE-78 Added Reference https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-15816 Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2459963 Added Reference https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2500889 Added Reference https://github.com/dracutdevs/dracut/blob/master/modules.d/40network/netroot.sh Added Reference https://github.com/dracutdevs/dracut/blob/master/modules.d/99base/dracut-lib.sh