Description
A flaw was found in dracut. A remote attacker on the adjacent network can exploit this vulnerability by providing specially crafted DHCP options, such as a malicious root-path, next-server, or bootfile name, to a system using dracut's NetworkManager-based initrd network module. These options are improperly handled and written into a temporary shell script without proper escaping, leading to command injection. This allows the attacker to achieve root code execution within the initramfs during system boot.
References10
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:26534
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:40700
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:61252
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:69118
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:69119
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:90272
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-16445
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2459963
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2503147
- github.com/dracutdevs/dracut/commit/e509c638e6
Metrics
- CVSS 3.1
-
7.5
HIGH
Score source: CNA
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - EPSS — exploit probability
- 3% percentile: 88 · as of 14 November 2026
- CWE
- CWE-78
Could this be exploited in your environment?
A patch closes the known hole. A penetration test shows what an attacker can still reach — with proof.