CVE-2026-84716
Automation-controller: automation-controller: instance install_bundle issues 10-year, non-revocable receptor mesh-ca certificates for caller-chosen (and case-variant impersonating) hostnames
- State
- Published
- Severity
- 6.6 Medium
- Published
- Sep 23, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 16, 2026
- Reserved
- Sep 2, 2026
Description
A flaw was found in the automation-controller instance install-bundle endpoint. When a System Administrator downloads an execution/hop node's install bundle, the controller signs an X.509 certificate with the receptor mesh certificate authority in which the Common Name, DNS subject-alternative-name, and receptor node-id are taken verbatim from the caller-chosen instance hostname, with a hard-coded ten-year validity, a random serial, and no issuance log or revocation list. Because the hostname charset validator is case-insensitive while the uniqueness validator is case-sensitive, an administrator can register a case variant of an existing control node's hostname and obtain a mesh-CA-signed certificate that TLS peers, which match hostnames case-insensitively, accept as that control node. In managed/hosted deployments — where the customer holds controller superuser but the platform operator runs the mesh — this yields a long-lived, non-revocable mesh peer credential and, with an on-path position, TLS impersonation or interception of control/hybrid mesh nodes. It does not grant direct remote code execution, because receptor work submission is gated by a separate signing key not included in the bundle.
Scores
| CVSS | Score | Vector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 6.6 Medium | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N | redhat |
Weaknesses
- CWE-266 Incorrect Privilege Assignment
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8Red Hat |
|
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9Red Hat |
|
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9Red Hat |
|
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6Red Hat |
|
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.7Red Hat |
|
References
- RHSA-2026:71113vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2026:71114vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2026:71177vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2026:71179vendor-advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-84716vdb-entry
- RHBZ#2527199issue-tracking
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