Analyst readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Authenticated users of Cockpit 2.13.5 and earlier may be able to place or overwrite files inside the uploads area through the Buckets component. The business risk is content tampering, malicious asset replacement, and service disruption, especially where many users have CMS access.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for Cockpit deployments with multiple CMS users or internet-facing administration. It is not currently sourced as exploited, but the impact supports prompt inventory, access tightening, and vendor-guided remediation.
Technical view
CVE-2026-38993 is a CWE-22 directory traversal issue in Cockpit's Buckets component. Sources state authenticated attackers can write arbitrary locations within the uploads directory or overwrite assets. CVSS 3.1 is 8.1, reflecting low complexity, network reachability, low privileges, and high integrity and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Cockpit installations running version 2.13.5 or earlier where authenticated users can access Buckets or upload assets. The source bundle lists no CPEs and uses n/a affected metadata, so asset matching may require manual product and version checks.
Exploitation context
No provided source or KEV status indicates active exploitation. The described attack requires authentication and affects file writes under uploads, making compromised CMS accounts, overprivileged editors, or exposed admin panels the main practical concern.
Researcher notes
The public record is specific about authenticated directory traversal through Buckets, but affected vendor/product metadata is incomplete and no exploit status is cited. Avoid assuming impact outside the uploads directory unless vendor or researcher sources confirm it.
Mitigation direction
- Review Cockpit 2.14.0 release guidance and upgrade if it addresses this issue.
- Restrict Buckets and upload permissions to trusted administrative users.
- Audit CMS accounts for unnecessary write privileges.
- Monitor uploads for unexpected paths, replacements, or new executable-looking assets.
- Keep backups of uploads and static assets for clean restoration.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cockpit instances and identify versions 2.13.5 or earlier.
- Confirm whether Buckets is enabled and who can use it.
- Review uploads directory for unexpected nested paths or overwritten assets.
- Check application logs for unusual authenticated upload or asset-write activity.
- Verify vendor advisory status because affected metadata is incomplete.
Public sources used
Based on public source material and reviewed before publication.
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 lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-38993 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
- High
- CVSS
- 8.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
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
2 official scoresWe 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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H2.85.2redhat-SADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N2.83.6CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.1HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Made public.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
- 2026-04-29T16:00:53.685Z: Reported to Red Hat.
- 2026-04-29T00:00:00.000Z: Made public.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/Cockpit-HQ/Cockpit/releases/tag/2.14.0CVE reference, mitre
- https://felsec.com/posts/cockpit-cms-2.13.5-multi-vulns/CVE reference, mitre
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-38993CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2463843CVE reference, redhat-SADP · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-38993.jsonCVE reference, redhat-SADP · x_sadp-csaf-vex
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.
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.