CVE-2026-4878Libcap: libcap: privilege escalation via toctou race condition in cap_set_file()

Description

A flaw was found in libcap. A local unprivileged user can exploit a Time-of-check-to-time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the `cap_set_file()` function. This allows an attacker with write access to a parent directory to redirect file capability updates to an attacker-controlled file. By doing so, capabilities can be injected into or stripped from unintended executables, leading to privilege escalation.

Timeline

Scores

EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)

0.21% · top 89% of all CVEs (14 Nov 2026)

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Medium 6.7.

Affected products

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

  • unaffected 0:2.69-7.el10_1.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

  • unaffected 0:2.69-7.el10_2.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 0:2.69-7.el10_0.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

  • unaffected 0:2.48-6.el8_10.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support

  • unaffected 0:2.48-4.el8_6.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On

  • unaffected 0:2.48-4.el8_6.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Telecommunications Update Service

  • unaffected 0:2.48-5.el8_8.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:2.48-5.el8_8.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 0:2.48-10.el9_7.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 0:2.48-10.el9_8.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 0:2.48-10.el9_7.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

  • unaffected 0:2.48-10.el9_8.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions

  • unaffected 0:2.48-9.el9_2.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.4 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 0:2.48-9.el9_4.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.6 Extended Update Support

  • unaffected 0:2.48-9.el9_6.1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12

  • unaffected 412.86.202608241157-0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.13

  • unaffected 413.92.202606160406-0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.14

  • unaffected 414.92.202606231112-0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.15

  • unaffected 415.92.202606030318-0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.16

  • unaffected 416.94.202606051757-0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.17

  • unaffected 417.94.202606250942-0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.18

  • unaffected 418.94.202606051320-0 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.19

  • unaffected 4.19.9.6.202606031700-0 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17

  • unaffected 1791371080 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17

  • unaffected 1791371069 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17

  • unaffected 1791788287 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.17

  • unaffected 1791970484 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18

  • unaffected 1791459707 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18

  • unaffected 1791459711 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18

  • unaffected 1791459759 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18

  • unaffected 1789029076 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.18

  • unaffected 1791966259 – < *

• Red Hat · Cert Manager support for Red Hat OpenShift release 1.20

  • unaffected 1790598593 – < *

• Red Hat · Cost Management 4

  • unaffected 1780946239 – < *

• Red Hat · Cost Management 4

  • unaffected 1783539156 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.2

  • unaffected 1780681984 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.3

  • unaffected 1782352950 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.3

  • unaffected 1782352919 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.3

  • unaffected 1782353093 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat AI Inference Server 3.3

  • unaffected 1782352847 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Discovery 2

  • unaffected 1778101579 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Discovery 2

  • unaffected 1778156756 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Discovery 2

  • unaffected 1782159791 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Discovery 2

  • unaffected 1782166952 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Hardened Images

  • unaffected 2.78-1.1.hum1 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Insights proxy 1.5

  • unaffected 1780420428 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift AI 3.4

  • unaffected 1790703542 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift distributed tracing 3.9.3

  • unaffected 1778056267 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift distributed tracing 3.9.3

  • unaffected 1778056233 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift distributed tracing 3.9.3

  • unaffected 1778056245 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Update Infrastructure 5

  • unaffected 1779798159 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Update Infrastructure 5

  • unaffected 1779798164 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Update Infrastructure 5

  • unaffected 1779798165 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Update Infrastructure 5

  • unaffected 1779798222 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Update Infrastructure 5

  • unaffected 1787241211 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Update Infrastructure 5

  • unaffected 1787135742 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Update Infrastructure 5

  • unaffected 1787241260 – < *

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

  All versions: unknown

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

  All versions: unknown

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

  All versions: unknown

• Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

  All versions: unknown

• Red Hat · Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

  All versions: unknown

What to do

Workaround: Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.

Sources

The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.

• CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
• CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
• NVD (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
• EUVD EUVD-2026-20910 (opens in a new tab)
• OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
• GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
• CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)

Badge for a README or a ticket

[![CVE-2026-4878](https://cveledger.app/badge/CVE-2026-4878.svg)](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2026-4878)

Record last updated 4 Nov 2026, 22:41 UTC.