CVE-2026-65197 H3C G3/G5 HDM Firmware Verification Key Replacement
Authenticated attackers can replace the firmware verification key to install malicious firmware, bypassing signature checks on H3C HDM devices.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-65197?
CVE-2026-65197 is a low-severity vulnerability in H3C HDM Family-A G5, published on 13 Oct 2026. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
H3C HDM Family-A verifies the RSA signature of a firmware image against a public key it reads from the mutable file `/conf/public.pem`. That file is writable by an authenticated Redfish client through the `UpdateService.UploadSignKey` action, which stores the uploaded body verbatim after validating only that the multipart filename ends in `.pem`. An administrator, or any account with `firmware-update` privilege, can therefore replace the trust anchor with their own key, sign a malicious image with the matching private key, and have it pass verification. Family-A has no hardware root-of-trust (no PFR) to catch the substituted key.
This was observed on H3C HDM Family-A G5 HDM 6.14.01. H3C HDM Family-A G3/G5 builds carrying the Redfish/DRE update tree appear to be affected. HDM2 uses a different update path and is not covered by this finding.
Weakness: CWE-347
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-65197?
How do I fix CVE-2026-65197?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-65197 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-65197 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-65197 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-3886-vrm6-hhxp.