Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Nano may create a user’s ~/.local directory with permissions allowing other local users to write into it. An attacker with local access could add a malicious desktop launcher. If another component later processes that launcher, it could cause unintended actions or limited information exposure. The reported severity is low.
Executive priority
Treat this as routine, targeted hardening rather than an emergency. Prioritize multi-user systems where untrusted local accounts coexist and permissive permissions are possible. Accelerate response if unauthorized launchers or writable user directories are discovered.
Technical view
The flaw is an incorrect-permissions issue, classified as CWE-732. With permissive umask settings, nano may create ~/.local as 0777 rather than 0700, enabling a low-privileged local attacker to inject a .desktop file. CVSS 3.1 is 2.5: local access, high complexity, low integrity impact, and no stated availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure requires nano, a permissive umask, an affected ~/.local creation path, and an untrusted local user. The bundle marks RHEL 6–10 and OpenShift Container Platform 4 packages as affected. It also names nano 2.9.1, but precise affected version ranges are incomplete.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is established. The CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied bundle, and no cited source claims observed exploitation. Abuse requires local privileges and suitable directory permissions; the CVSS assessment rates attack complexity high.
Researcher notes
The reported impact is limited to low integrity loss, with no confidentiality impact scored despite the description mentioning possible information disclosure. The supplied sources do not name a fixed version, patch, or confirmed exploitation. Broad RHEL and OpenShift affected status is provided, but package-level version boundaries require vendor confirmation.
Mitigation direction
- Apply vendor-provided updates when Red Hat or nano guidance identifies a fixed package.
- Ensure affected users’ ~/.local directories are restricted to their owners, consistent with 0700 permissions.
- Review and tighten permissive umask configurations where operationally appropriate.
- Restrict local account access and investigate unauthorized .desktop files in user directories.
Validation and detection
- Inventory nano packages across listed RHEL and OpenShift environments.
- Check whether ~/.local directories are writable by users other than their owners.
- Identify systems using permissive umask settings when user directories may be created.
- Review affected user directories for unexpected or recently created .desktop launchers.
- Confirm remediation status against current vendor advisories before closing findings.
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-732: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. 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-2026-6842 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
- 2.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/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:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N11.4redhatVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
2.5LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/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
Reported to Red Hat.
- Source timelineredhat
Made public.
- 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
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6842CVE reference, redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2460018CVE 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.
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.