Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A hostname-handling flaw in util-linux login may let a remote attacker evade PAM rules that trust fully qualified hostnames. Exposure appears narrow: the supplied data identifies one Red Hat Hardened Images package version as affected, while listed RHEL and OpenShift releases are unaffected.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted configuration-dependent issue, not an estate-wide emergency. Promptly identify affected Hardened Images and hostname-dependent PAM controls, then remediate through Red Hat guidance. Escalate priority if the vulnerable login path is remotely reachable on sensitive systems.
Technical view
When login(1) receives a remote hostname through -h, improper canonicalization can alter it before assignment to PAM_RHOST. A crafted hostname may therefore bypass host-based PAM access rules. Exploitation requires specific remote-login and PAM configurations, reflected by high attack complexity and a CVSS 3.1 score of 3.7.
Likely exposure
Likely exposure is limited to Red Hat Hardened Images running util-linux-main 2.42-7.1.hum1 where login is invoked with -h and PAM authorization depends on fully qualified remote hostnames. The supplied bundle marks RHEL 7–10 and listed OpenShift 4 packages unaffected.
Exploitation context
The bundle does not identify active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. A remote, unauthenticated attacker may reach the vulnerable path, but exploitation has high complexity and depends on hostname-based PAM rules. The documented impact is limited to integrity through possible unauthorized access.
Researcher notes
The key trust-boundary failure occurs between parsing the -h hostname and populating PAM_RHOST. The sources do not describe the exact canonicalization transformation, affected upstream version range, proof of concept, or confirmed attacks. Testing should remain defensive and focus on whether policy evaluation receives a hostname different from the supplied value.
Mitigation direction
- Consult RHSA-2026:7180 and apply Red Hat's supported remediation for affected Hardened Images.
- Avoid using remote hostname identity as the sole basis for PAM access decisions.
- Restrict affected remote-login services to trusted networks until vendor remediation is confirmed.
- Replace or rebuild affected images according to current Red Hat guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Red Hat Hardened Images for util-linux-main version 2.42-7.1.hum1.
- Confirm whether any remote-login path invokes login with the -h option.
- Review PAM policies for rules that authorize access using fully qualified remote hostnames.
- Compare installed package status with RHSA-2026:7180 after remediation.
- Review authentication records for unexpected successful sessions or anomalous remote hostnames.
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-289: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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-2026-3184 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
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
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:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N2.21.4redhatVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
3.7LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- Source timelineredhat
Made public.
- Source timelineredhat
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- 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-2026:7180CVE reference, redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-3184CVE reference, redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2442570CVE reference, redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_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.
Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name
Authentication Bypass by Alternate Name represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.