CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-90959NVD status: Awaiting Analysis

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for…: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-90959 is a high-severity improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory vulnerability in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 from Red Hat, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.1 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.53% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Check which version of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Red HatRed Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 8Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Satellite 6.16 for RHEL 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Satellite 6.17 for RHEL 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Satellite 6.18 for RHEL 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Satellite 6.19 for RHEL 9Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Satellite 6Not specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Update Infrastructure 4 for Cloud ProvidersNot specified in the recordNot stated
Red HatRed Hat Update Infrastructure 5Not specified in the recordNot stated

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
NoneAvailability is not affected.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N. Scored by CNA (redhat.com).

Official description

A path traversal vulnerability was found in pulpcore. The content upload API accepts a 'file_url' parameter that allows users with file repository privileges to specify a local file URL for Pulp to download and store. A URL scheme validation check uses a string prefix comparison that only rejects URLs beginning with 'file://', but Python's URL parser recognizes the 'file:' scheme without double slashes, creating a mismatch between what is validated and what is dispatched to the file downloader. An authenticated user with low-privilege repository permissions can supply a specially crafted URL using relative path traversal sequences to read any file accessible to the Pulp server process. In deployments that include Pulp Container, successful exploitation allows an attacker to read the container registry token signing private key and forge bearer tokens, granting unauthorized access to all private container repositories in the affected registry.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory

The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid.
  • Use an application firewall that can detect attacks against this weakness. It can be beneficial in cases in which the code cannot be fixed (because it is controlled by a third party), as an emergency prevention measure while more comprehensive software assurance measures are applied, or to provide defense in depth.

More Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory vulnerabilities (CWE-22)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9

All Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 vulnerabilities

Recent Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory vulnerabilities

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