# CVE-2026-11837: rhc-worker-playbook: A local privilege escalation vulnerability was found in the ansible.posix authorized_key module

CVE-2026-11837 is fixed in 3 products on 1 platform, first by RHSA-2026:79112, released June 10, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: High.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-11837
- Priority: High
- CVSS: 7.3 (important)
- EPSS: 0.0016
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Jun 10, 2026

## Description

A local privilege escalation vulnerability was found in the ansible.posix authorized_key module. The module's keyfile() function uses os.chown() instead of os.lchown() and opens files without O_NOFOLLOW when managing SSH authorized keys. An unprivileged local user can pre-stage symbolic links in their ~/.ssh directory to redirect file ownership changes to arbitrary system paths when an operator runs the authorized_key task as root, leading to local privilege escalation.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | ansible amzn 2023 | 8.3.0-1.amzn2023.0.3 | [ALAS2023-2026-1932](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1932.md) | Jul 6, 2026 |
| Linux | ansible-collection-ansible-posix Fedora 43 | 2.2.1-1.fc43 | [FEDORA-2026-50E5126BE4](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/fedora-2026-50e5126be4.md) | Jul 8, 2026 |
| Linux | rhc-worker-playbook RHEL 10 | 0.2.3-6.el10_0.2 | [RHSA-2026:79112](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/rhsa-2026-79112.md) | Jun 10, 2026 |

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Data as of 2026-11-09T01:18:40Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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