CVE-2026-16445
highpriority · track · 1EPSS 0.031 · 88 %ileEUUSEPSS · scored 2026-10-27
A flaw was found in dracut. A remote attacker on the adjacent network can exploit this vulnerability by providing specially crafted DHCP options, such as a malicious root-path, next-server, or bootfile name, to a system using dracut's NetworkManager-based initrd network module. These options are improperly handled and written into a temporary shell script without proper escaping, leading to command injection. This allows the attacker to achieve root code execution within the initramfs during system boot.
cvss
Technical severity, 0–10. One row per scoring source.
base score 0–10 · higher = more severe · hover a vector to decode⚠ sources disagree · medium–high · 6.9–7.5
ssvc
A stakeholder decision — act, attend, or track — from exploitation and impact.
weaknesses
The CWE weakness classes this flaw belongs to.
affected products (2)
Products and version ranges known to be affected.
also known as (3)
Other names and identifiers for this entity.
sources
Which sources assert this record, and when.
references (19)
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26534cnnvd
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:40700cnnvd
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16445cnnvd
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2459963cnnvd
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2503147cnnvd
- https://github.com/dracutdevs/dracut/commit/e509c638e6cnnvd
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26534enisa_euvd
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:40700enisa_euvd
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