# CVE-2026-91203: Cockpit-files: cockpit-files: arbitrary file ownership and permission modification via symlink race condition

> Local attackers can exploit a symlink race condition in cockpit-files to modify ownership and permissions of arbitrary files, potentially compromising system integrity.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 18 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-91203, GHSA-2wj2-6xq8-f5rx, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-91203

## What is CVE-2026-91203?

CVE-2026-91203 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 18 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A flaw was found in cockpit-files. This vulnerability allows a local attacker to exploit a timing issue, known as a symlink race condition, during privileged file operations such as changing file ownership or permissions. By manipulating directory entries and winning this race, the attacker can redirect these operations to unintended files. This could lead to unauthorized changes in file ownership and permissions on arbitrary files, potentially compromising system integrity and availability by altering system or application states or rendering services unusable.

Weakness: CWE-363 (Race Condition Enabling Link Following)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-91203?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-91203?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2026-91203 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-91203 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-91203 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-91203 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, published on 18 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-91203 exists.

Affected product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-91203/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-91203/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-91203
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-91203
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-91203

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-91203/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.