CVE-2026-16487
HIGH 8.1A flaw was found in bootc when operating with the default containers signature policy. Automatic or manual upgrades of a mutable image tag may apply unsigned content for registries that fall through to insecureAcceptAnything, allowing an attacker who can update that tag to execute arbitrary OS content as the host root filesystem on reboot.
Severe if exploited (CVSS 8.1), but no known exploitation and low modeled probability. Patch on a normal cadence.
Exploitation likelihood
0.2%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 6th percentile
Impact if exploited
8.1CVSS 3.1 · HIGH
- ConfidentialityHigh
- IntegrityHigh
- AvailabilityHigh
What an attacker needs
- ✓Access: Reachable over the network — no local access needed
- ✓Privileges: No account or privileges required
- ✓User interaction: No user interaction needed
- ⚠Complexity: Needs a race window or specific setup
✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it
Proof of concept & exploit code
- github-search Search GitHub for public PoC repos
Test against your own equipment
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-16487/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).Listed for defensive triage, patch verification, and authorized testing on systems you own. Machine-readable: /cve/CVE-2026-16487/poc.json
Affected
Vendors Red Hat
Products Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat Hardened Images Red Hat Openshift Container Platform 4
Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-345: Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
All CVSS metrics
- HIGH 8.1 v3.1 · CNA Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - HIGH 8.1 v3.1 · NVD Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H