CVE-2026-92745 in Cockpit
Summary
by MITRE • 09/18/2026
A flaw was found in cockpit-machines. This vulnerability allows a local attacker with the ability to inspect process metadata to disclose a sensitive Red Hat Subscription Management (RHSM) offline token. The token is exposed when it is passed as a command-line argument to a helper script during the token validation process. Successful exploitation could lead to the compromise of confidentiality, as the exposed token can be used to request access tokens.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2026
The vulnerability identified in cockpit-machines represents a significant security flaw related to improper handling of sensitive credentials within system administration tools. Cockpit is a web-based interface for managing Linux systems, and its machines module facilitates interaction with virtualization components such as libvirt. The core issue stems from the architectural decision to pass critical authentication material, specifically Red Hat Subscription Management offline tokens, directly through command-line arguments rather than more secure mechanisms like environment variables or temporary files with restricted permissions. This design choice inadvertently exposes sensitive data to other processes running on the same system that have the capability to inspect process metadata. In Linux environments, tools such as ps, top, or specialized monitoring agents can often view the full command lines of all running processes. Consequently, any local user who possesses the ability to execute these inspection commands can observe the raw token string in real-time during its usage by the helper script responsible for validating the subscription status.
From a technical perspective, this flaw is classified under CWE-78 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command and more specifically aligns with CWE-209 Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information or CWE-532 Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File if the command line output is logged. However, the primary vector here is information disclosure via process argument visibility. When cockpit-machines invokes a helper script to validate an RHSM offline token, it constructs a shell command that includes the token as a direct argument. Because operating system kernels typically make these arguments visible in /proc/[pid]/cmdline or similar interfaces accessible to local users with standard read permissions on their own process space and often broader visibility depending on configuration, the secret is effectively broadcasted within the local security boundary. This bypasses traditional access controls because the protection relies solely on the secrecy of the command line rather than file system permissions or memory isolation techniques that would be employed if the token were passed via stdin or an environment variable with restricted scope.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe regarding confidentiality, though it generally does not provide direct code execution capabilities to unprivileged users unless combined with other local privilege escalation vectors. The exposed Red Hat Subscription Management offline token serves as a high-value credential that can be used by an attacker to authenticate against RHSM services remotely or locally. With possession of this valid offline token, an adversary can request new access tokens from the subscription management infrastructure. This effectively allows the attacker to impersonate the system owner for subscription-related operations, potentially leading to unauthorized software installations, updates, or compliance violations within a Red Hat Enterprise Linux environment. For organizations relying on strict security postures and multi-tenancy in virtualized environments managed by cockpit, this flaw undermines the isolation guarantees expected between different users or services running on the host machine.
Mitigation strategies should focus on eliminating the exposure of sensitive data through process arguments immediately. The most effective remediation involves modifying the cockpit-machines codebase to pass the RHSM offline token via standard input (stdin) or a secure environment variable rather than as a command-line argument. If stdin is used, the helper script must be updated to read from the pipe instead of parsing argv. Additionally, implementing strict file permissions on any temporary files containing secrets and ensuring that log outputs do not inadvertently capture full command lines are essential defensive measures. Until an official patch is applied by Red Hat or the cockpit maintainers, system administrators should restrict access to process inspection tools where possible and monitor for unusual activity involving subscription management processes. Regular auditing of running commands using secure methods can help detect if this vulnerability has been exploited in a specific environment.