CVE-2026-16460 Bootc: ostree: bootc/ostree: staged deployments not revalidated against container signature policy before finalization
Attackers can bypass container signature policies to boot unsigned OS content, leading to full host compromise on reboot in Red Hat systems.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-16460?
CVE-2026-16460 is a high-severity vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 19 Oct 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
A flaw was found in bootc and ostree. Already-staged deployments are finalized without revalidating the deployment's container image against the current containers signature policy. Unsigned OS content staged under a prior permissive policy can remain bootable after policy is hardened to reject unsigned images, leading to full host compromise on reboot.
Weakness: CWE-345
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-16460?
How do I fix CVE-2026-16460?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-16460 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-16460 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-16460 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-72gj-m9xp-j6qc.