Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2026-4631 is a critical Cockpit flaw where the web login path can pass untrusted host or user input into SSH. A network attacker may achieve code execution on the Cockpit host before authentication. Treat exposed Cockpit management interfaces as urgent.
Executive priority
Prioritize same-day assessment and remediation for exposed Cockpit hosts. This is unauthenticated remote code execution against an administrative service, so compromise could lead directly to server control.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-78 command injection in Cockpit remote login. Unsanitized hostname and username values from the web interface are passed to the SSH client, allowing SSH option or command-line argument injection during authentication flow. Sources rate it CVSS 9.8 with network, low-complexity, no-credential exploitation.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where Cockpit web service is reachable on affected Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, 9.6 EUS, 10, or 10.0 EUS systems. The bundle marks RHEL 7 and 8 as unaffected.
Exploitation context
The bundle says exploitation requires only network access to Cockpit and no valid credentials. KEV is false, and the provided sources do not establish active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports unauthenticated command injection before credential verification. The source bundle does not include exploit samples, fixed package versions, or proof of active exploitation, so validation should focus on affected product inventory and vendor advisory status.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Red Hat updates from RHSA-2026:7381 through RHSA-2026:7384 where applicable.
- Check Red Hat CVE guidance for corrected cockpit package details before rollout.
- Restrict Cockpit web access to trusted administrative networks only.
- Disable or isolate Cockpit where it is not operationally required.
Validation and detection
- Inventory systems running the cockpit package on RHEL 9, 9.6 EUS, 10, or 10.0 EUS.
- Confirm installed cockpit versions against Red Hat advisory guidance.
- Verify Cockpit web endpoints are not broadly internet-accessible.
- Review authentication and web service logs for suspicious pre-login requests.
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-78: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter 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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-4631 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
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9redhatCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9redhat-SADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Base CVSS 3.1 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Reported to Red Hat.
- Source timelineredhat
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Made public.
- 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
- 2026-03-23T08:22:37.323Z: Reported to Red Hat.
- 2026-04-07T15:52:00.000Z: Made public.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- RHSA-2026:7381CVE reference, redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHSA-2026:7382CVE reference, redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHSA-2026:7383CVE reference, redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHSA-2026:7384CVE reference, redhat · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-4631CVE reference, redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2450246CVE reference, redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-4631.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 Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.