Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
- EPSS is 0.60% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-27211High confidence
Cloud Hypervisor: Host File Exfiltration via QCOW Backing File Abuse
cloud-hypervisor · cloud-hypervisor
Official source article: GitHub GHSA-JMR4-G2HV-MJJ6 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.
9.1CriticalCVSS 4.0
Within 72 hours
Patch availableCritical technical impact with a remotely reachable, unauthenticated path; no CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityCritical→Operational priority:Critical, unchanged from published severity.unchanged
Compensating controls
- Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs cloud-hypervisor cloud-hypervisor and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Critical technical impact with a remotely reachable, unauthenticated path; no CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
Patch available01
What, why and how
Cloud Hypervisor is a Virtual Machine Monitor for Cloud workloads. Versions 34.0 through 50.0 arevulnerable to arbitrary host file exfiltration (constrained by process privileges) when using virtio-block devices backed by raw images. A malicious guest can overwrite its disk header with a crafted QCOW2 structure pointing to a sensitive host path. Upon the next VM boot or disk scan, the image format auto-detection parses this header and serves the host file's contents to the guest. Guest-initiated VM reboots are sufficient to trigger a disk scan and do not cause the Cloud Hypervisor process to exit. Therefore, a single VM can perform this attack without needing interaction from the management stack. Successful exploitation requires the backing image to be either writable by the guest or sourced from an untrusted origin. Deployments utilizing only trusted, read-only images are not affected. This issue has been fixed in version 50.1. To workaround, enable land lock sandboxing and restrict process privileges and access.
What
Cloud Hypervisor is a Virtual Machine Monitor for Cloud workloads. Versions 34.0 through 50.0 arevulnerable to arbitrary host file exfiltration (constrained by process privileges) when using virtio-block devices backed by raw images. A malicious guest can overwrite its disk header with a crafted QCOW2 structure pointing to a sensitive host path. Upon the next VM boot or disk scan, the image format auto-detection parses this header and serves the host file's contents to the guest. Guest-initiated VM reboots are sufficient to trigger a disk scan and do not cause the Cloud Hypervisor process to exit. Therefore, a single VM can perform this attack without needing interaction from the management stack. Successful exploitation requires the backing image to be either writable by the guest or sourced from an untrusted origin. Deployments utilizing only trusted, read-only images are not affected. This issue has been fixed in version 50.1. To workaround, enable land lock sandboxing and restrict process privileges and access.
Why
The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
What
Cloud Hypervisor is a Virtual Machine Monitor for Cloud workloads. Versions 34.0 through 50.0 arevulnerable to arbitrary host file exfiltration (constrained by process privileges) when using virtio-block devices backed by raw images. A malicious guest can overwrite its disk header with a crafted QCOW2 structure pointing to a sensitive host path. Upon the next VM boot or disk scan, the image format auto-detection parses this header and serves the host file's contents to the guest. Guest-initiated VM reboots are sufficient to trigger a disk scan and do not cause the Cloud Hypervisor process to exit. Therefore, a single VM can perform this attack without needing interaction from the management stack. Successful exploitation requires the backing image to be either writable by the guest or sourced from an untrusted origin. Deployments utilizing only trusted, read-only images are not affected. This issue has been fixed in version 50.1. To workaround, enable land lock sandboxing and restrict process privileges and access.
Why
The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → External Control of File Name or Path → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Not a CVSS 4.0 base metric
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness. - CWE-73 ↗
CWE-73: External Control of File Name or Path. The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
- CVSS vector
?
CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity. CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:HCommon Vulnerability Scoring System 4.0: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.
AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.ATPresentAttack requirements: A particular deployment or execution condition must be present.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.VCHighVulnerable-system confidentiality: A successful attack can cause a major loss.VINoneVulnerable-system integrity: No direct loss is represented by this metric.VANoneVulnerable-system availability: No direct loss is represented by this metric.SCHighSubsequent-system confidentiality: A successful attack can cause a major loss.SIHighSubsequent-system integrity: A successful attack can cause a major loss.SAHighSubsequent-system availability: A successful attack can cause a major loss.- Post-exploitation / living off the land
- No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
03
Patch and workaround
Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.
- Status
?
Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change. - Patch available
- Fixed
- 50.1.
- Action
- Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
- Workaround
- No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04
Evidence and provenance
Published 21 Feb 2026 · Last source change 25 Feb 2026, 21:17 UTC · CWE-73 · External Control of File Name or Path
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-7729
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD enriched
Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
- CVE
- Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
- CVSS
- Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
- EPSS
- Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
- CWE
- Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
- CNA
- CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
- CISA ADP
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
- NVD
- National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
- CERT / CSIRT
- A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
- PoC
- Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
- CSAF
- Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
- LoTL
- Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.