CVE-2026-0980: Red Hat Satellite RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-0980 Overview

A command injection vulnerability has been identified in rubyipmi, a Ruby gem used in the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) component of Red Hat Satellite. An authenticated attacker with host creation or update permissions could exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious username for the BMC interface. This could lead to remote code execution (RCE) on the system, allowing attackers to compromise the underlying infrastructure management platform.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can achieve remote code execution by injecting malicious commands through specially crafted BMC usernames, potentially compromising the entire Satellite infrastructure.

Affected Products

• Red Hat Satellite 6.0
• LogicMinds rubyipmi (all versions)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-27 - CVE-2026-0980 published to NVD
• 2026-03-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-0980

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-78 (OS Command Injection), where user-supplied input is incorporated into system commands without proper sanitization. The rubyipmi gem interfaces with IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) tools to manage BMC hardware. When processing BMC usernames during host creation or update operations, the gem fails to properly sanitize the username input before passing it to underlying system commands.

The attack requires authenticated access to Red Hat Satellite with permissions to create or modify host configurations. While this limits the attack surface to authenticated users, the consequence of successful exploitation is severe—full remote code execution on the Satellite server with the privileges of the application process.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper input validation within the rubyipmi gem when handling BMC interface credentials. The username parameter is passed to shell commands without adequate escaping or sanitization, creating an injection point. This allows special shell metacharacters and command separators to be interpreted by the underlying shell, enabling arbitrary command execution.

Attack Vector

The attack is conducted over the network by an authenticated user who has been granted host creation or update permissions within Red Hat Satellite. The attacker crafts a malicious BMC username containing shell metacharacters (such as ;, |, $(), or backticks) that break out of the intended command context.

When the Satellite server processes the host configuration and attempts to communicate with or configure the BMC interface, the malicious username is interpolated into a system command. The shell interprets the injected characters as command separators or substitutions, executing the attacker's payload with the privileges of the Satellite application.

For example, a username like admin$(malicious_command) or admin; malicious_command # could be used to inject arbitrary commands that execute during BMC operations. For detailed technical information, refer to the Red Hat Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-0980

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual or malformed BMC usernames containing shell metacharacters such as ;, |, &, $(), or backticks in host configurations
• Unexpected child processes spawned by the Satellite application or foreman processes
• Anomalous network connections originating from the Satellite server to unknown destinations
• Modified files or unauthorized changes in system directories associated with the Satellite installation

Detection Strategies

• Implement input validation monitoring to detect BMC username fields containing shell metacharacters or command injection patterns
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious process chains involving the Satellite application
• Enable comprehensive logging for host creation and update operations in Red Hat Satellite
• Configure SIEM rules to alert on shell metacharacters in API requests targeting BMC configuration endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Audit all host creation and modification activities in Red Hat Satellite access logs
• Monitor system call activity on Satellite servers for unusual command executions tied to the application process
• Review BMC configuration changes and correlate with user activity to identify unauthorized modifications
• Enable real-time alerting for any detected command injection patterns in web application firewalls

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-0980

Immediate Actions Required

• Restrict host creation and update permissions to only trusted administrators until patches are applied
• Review existing host configurations for any suspicious BMC usernames containing special characters
• Implement network segmentation to limit the blast radius of potential exploitation
• Monitor Satellite servers for signs of compromise and unusual activity

Patch Information

Red Hat has acknowledged this vulnerability and is tracking it through their security response process. Administrators should monitor the Red Hat CVE Advisory and Red Hat Bugzilla Report #2429874 for official patch releases and updated guidance. Apply security updates as soon as they become available.

Workarounds

• Implement strict input validation at the application layer to reject BMC usernames containing shell metacharacters
• Use a web application firewall (WAF) to filter requests containing command injection patterns in BMC-related parameters
• Temporarily disable or restrict access to BMC configuration functionality if not operationally required
• Apply principle of least privilege by limiting the number of users with host creation/modification permissions

# Example: Restricting BMC configuration permissions in Satellite
# Review and audit current user permissions
hammer user list --search "role = Host Manager"

# Consider creating a restricted role without BMC permissions
# until patches are available
hammer role create --name "Host Manager No BMC" --description "Host management without BMC access"