Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-0964 lets a malicious SCP server trick a vulnerable libssh-based client into writing files outside the intended download directory. Business impact depends on where SCP clients run and whether users connect to untrusted servers. The issue is medium severity because user interaction and a malicious server are required.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate patching and exposure-management item. Prioritize internet-adjacent automation, privileged administrative workstations, CI systems, and environments that fetch files from third-party SCP servers. It is not presented as wormable or actively exploited in the supplied sources.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-22 path traversal in libssh SCP client path handling. Paths received from an SCP server are not sufficiently sanitized, allowing unexpected local file writes outside the working directory. Red Hat maps this to CVSS 3.0 score 5.0 and notes similarity to OpenSSH CVE-2019-6111.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on systems using affected Red Hat libssh packages on RHEL 8, RHEL 9, RHEL 10, and OpenShift Container Platform 4/RHCOS. RHEL 6, RHEL 7, and Red Hat Hardened Images libssh2 entries are listed as unaffected in the supplied data.
Exploitation context
The attacker must control or compromise an SCP server and convince a user or client application to connect and retrieve files. The supplied sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Potential outcomes include local file overwrite, malicious executable placement, or configuration tampering under specific conditions.
Researcher notes
Focus validation on client-side SCP path handling in libssh consumers, not SSH server exposure alone. The affected condition depends on receiving paths from a malicious SCP server. Evidence is strongest for Red Hat package impact and upstream libssh security releases; exploit prevalence is not established here.
Mitigation direction
- Apply vendor updates from the referenced Red Hat advisories where applicable.
- Review libssh 0.12.0 and 0.11.4 security release guidance.
- Avoid SCP transfers from untrusted or newly introduced servers.
- Restrict automated SCP jobs to trusted, authenticated endpoints.
- Monitor vendor advisories for product-specific fixed package versions.
Validation and detection
- Inventory systems with libssh on RHEL 8, 9, 10, and OpenShift 4/RHCOS.
- Compare installed package versions against Red Hat advisory guidance.
- Identify applications that use libssh SCP client functionality.
- Review automation for SCP downloads from external or third-party servers.
- Check endpoint telemetry for unexpected file writes after SCP transfers.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupContainer behavior lookup
The affected technology mentions containers, so container-specific ATT&CK technique review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-0964 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L1.63.4redhatVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
5MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- Source timelineredhat
Reported to Red Hat.
- Source timelineredhat
Made public.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- RHSA-2026:18160CVE reference, redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHSA-2026:18683CVE reference, redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-0964CVE reference, redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2436979CVE reference, redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://www.libssh.org/2026/02/10/libssh-0-12-0-and-0-11-4-security-releases/CVE reference, redhat
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.