{"id":"UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037","details":"A flaw was found in the ansible-core user module. When generate_ssh_key is enabled, User.ssh_key_gen() guards the key files against symlinks but checks the ~/.ssh directory only with os.path.exists(). An unprivileged user on a managed node who replaces their ~/.ssh with a symlink to an existing root-writable directory causes the privileged module to write the generated key pair through the symlink and then chown both files to that user. Because such files can be dropped into directories processed by schedulers (e.g. /etc/cron.daily) or dynamic MOTD (/etc/update-motd.d), the user can escalate to root on the managed node. This is an incomplete fix of CVE-2024-9902.","modified":"2026-11-07T01:46:29.264008685Z","published":"2026-11-06T00:00:00Z","upstream":["CVE-2026-123037"],"references":[{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-123037"},{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-123037"},{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-123037"},{"type":"REPORT","url":"https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2567189"}],"affected":[{"package":{"name":"ansible","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible?arch=source&distro=esm-infra-legacy%2Ftrusty"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["1.1+dfsg-1","1.3.4+dfsg-1","1.4.0+dfsg-1","1.4.1+dfsg-1","1.4.3+dfsg-1","1.4.4+dfsg-1","1.5.4+dfsg-1","1.5.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm1","1.5.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm2","1.5.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm3"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_version":"1.5.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm3","binary_name":"ansible"},{"binary_name":"ansible-fireball","binary_version":"1.5.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm3"},{"binary_name":"ansible-node-fireball","binary_version":"1.5.4+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm3"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Fxenial"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["1.9.2+dfsg-2","1.9.4-1","2.0.0.2-2","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.1","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.2","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm1","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm2","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm3","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm4","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm5","2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm6"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"ansible","binary_version":"2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm6"},{"binary_name":"ansible-fireball","binary_version":"2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm6"},{"binary_name":"ansible-node-fireball","binary_version":"2.0.0.2-2ubuntu1.3+esm6"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Fbionic"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["2.3.1.0+dfsg-2","2.5.0+dfsg-1","2.5.1+dfsg-1","2.5.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1","2.5.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1+esm1","2.5.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1+esm2","2.5.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1+esm3","2.5.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1+esm4","2.5.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1+esm5"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"ansible","binary_version":"2.5.1+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1+esm5"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Ffocal"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["2.8.3+dfsg-1","2.8.6+dfsg-1","2.9.2+dfsg-1","2.9.4+dfsg-1","2.9.6+dfsg-1","2.9.6+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm1","2.9.6+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm2","2.9.6+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm3"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"ansible","binary_version":"2.9.6+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm3"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible-core","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:22.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible-core?arch=source&distro=jammy"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["2.12.0-1","2.12.0-1ubuntu0.1"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"ansible-core","binary_version":"2.12.0-1ubuntu0.1"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible?arch=source&distro=esm-apps%2Fjammy"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["2.10.7+merged+base+2.10.8+dfsg-1","2.10.7+merged+base+2.10.8+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm1","2.10.7+merged+base+2.10.8+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm4"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_version":"2.10.7+merged+base+2.10.8+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm4","binary_name":"ansible"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:24.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible?arch=source&distro=noble"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["7.7.0+dfsg-1","7.7.0+dfsg-3","9.2.0+dfsg-0ubuntu4","9.2.0+dfsg-0ubuntu5"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"ansible","binary_version":"9.2.0+dfsg-0ubuntu5"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible-core","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:24.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible-core?arch=source&distro=noble"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["2.14.9-2","2.14.11-1","2.14.11-2","2.14.13-1","2.16.3-0ubuntu1","2.16.3-0ubuntu2"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_version":"2.16.3-0ubuntu2","binary_name":"ansible-core"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:26.10","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible?arch=source&distro=stonking"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["13.1.0+dfsg-1ubuntu1","13.4.0+dfsg-1"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"ansible","binary_version":"13.4.0+dfsg-1"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible-core","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:26.10","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible-core?arch=source&distro=stonking"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["2.20.1-1","2.21.1~rc1-1","2.21.1~rc1-2","2.21.1~rc1-2ubuntu1","2.22.0~beta2-1"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_version":"2.22.0~beta2-1","binary_name":"ansible-core"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:26.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible?arch=source&distro=resolute"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["12.0.0~b1+dfsg-1","12.0.0+dfsg-1","12.2.0+dfsg-1","13.1.0+dfsg-1","13.1.0+dfsg-1ubuntu1"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_version":"13.1.0+dfsg-1ubuntu1","binary_name":"ansible"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}},{"package":{"name":"ansible-core","ecosystem":"Ubuntu:26.04:LTS","purl":"pkg:deb/ubuntu/ansible-core?arch=source&distro=resolute"},"ranges":[{"type":"ECOSYSTEM","events":[{"introduced":"0"}]}],"versions":["2.19.0-1ubuntu1","2.19.4-1","2.20.1-1"],"ecosystem_specific":{"binaries":[{"binary_name":"ansible-core","binary_version":"2.20.1-1"}]},"database_specific":{"source":"https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-security-notices/blob/main/osv/cve/2026/UBUNTU-CVE-2026-123037.json"}}],"schema_version":"1.9.2","severity":[{"type":"CVSS_V3","score":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"},{"type":"Ubuntu","score":"medium"}]}