UBUNTU-CVE-2026-16445 (CVE-2026-16445)
Vulnerability from osv_ubuntu – Published: 2026-07-21 13:17 – Updated: 2026-09-15 00:56 – Source websiteA flaw was found in dracut. A remote attacker on the adjacent network can exploit this vulnerability by providing specially crafted DHCP options, such as a malicious root-path, next-server, or bootfile name, to a system using dracut's NetworkManager-based initrd network module. These options are improperly handled and written into a temporary shell script without proper escaping, leading to command injection. This allows the attacker to achieve root code execution within the initramfs during system boot.
{
"affected": [
{
"ecosystem_specific": {
"binaries": [
{
"binary_name": "dracut",
"binary_version": "044+3-3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-generic",
"binary_version": "044+3-3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-rescue",
"binary_version": "044+3-3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-core",
"binary_version": "044+3-3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-network",
"binary_version": "044+3-3"
}
]
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Ubuntu:16.04:LTS",
"name": "dracut",
"purl": "pkg:deb/ubuntu/dracut@044+3-3?arch=source\u0026distro=xenial"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"043-2",
"043-4",
"044+3-1",
"044+3-2",
"044+3-3"
]
},
{
"ecosystem_specific": {
"binaries": [
{
"binary_name": "dracut",
"binary_version": "047-2"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-generic",
"binary_version": "047-2"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-rescue",
"binary_version": "047-2"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-core",
"binary_version": "047-2"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-network",
"binary_version": "047-2"
}
]
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Ubuntu:18.04:LTS",
"name": "dracut",
"purl": "pkg:deb/ubuntu/dracut@047-2?arch=source\u0026distro=bionic"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"045+132-1",
"047-2"
]
},
{
"ecosystem_specific": {
"binaries": [
{
"binary_name": "dracut",
"binary_version": "048+80-2"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-generic",
"binary_version": "048+80-2"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-rescue",
"binary_version": "048+80-2"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-core",
"binary_version": "048+80-2"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-network",
"binary_version": "048+80-2"
}
]
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Ubuntu:20.04:LTS",
"name": "dracut",
"purl": "pkg:deb/ubuntu/dracut@048+80-2?arch=source\u0026distro=focal"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"048+80-2"
]
},
{
"ecosystem_specific": {
"binaries": [
{
"binary_name": "dracut",
"binary_version": "051-1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-generic",
"binary_version": "051-1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-rescue",
"binary_version": "051-1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-core",
"binary_version": "051-1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-live",
"binary_version": "051-1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-network",
"binary_version": "051-1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-squash",
"binary_version": "051-1"
}
]
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Ubuntu:22.04:LTS",
"name": "dracut",
"purl": "pkg:deb/ubuntu/dracut@051-1?arch=source\u0026distro=jammy"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"051-1"
]
},
{
"ecosystem_specific": {
"binaries": [
{
"binary_name": "dracut",
"binary_version": "060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-generic",
"binary_version": "060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-config-rescue",
"binary_version": "060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-core",
"binary_version": "060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-install",
"binary_version": "060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-live",
"binary_version": "060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-network",
"binary_version": "060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-squash",
"binary_version": "060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
}
]
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Ubuntu:24.04:LTS",
"name": "dracut",
"purl": "pkg:deb/ubuntu/dracut@060+5-1ubuntu3.3?arch=source\u0026distro=noble"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"059-4ubuntu2",
"060+5-1ubuntu1",
"060+5-1ubuntu2",
"060+5-1ubuntu3",
"060+5-1ubuntu3.1",
"060+5-1ubuntu3.2",
"060+5-1ubuntu3.3"
]
},
{
"ecosystem_specific": {
"binaries": [
{
"binary_name": "dracut",
"binary_version": "110-11ubuntu0.1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-core",
"binary_version": "110-11ubuntu0.1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-install",
"binary_version": "110-11ubuntu0.1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-network",
"binary_version": "110-11ubuntu0.1"
},
{
"binary_name": "dracut-test",
"binary_version": "110-11ubuntu0.1"
}
]
},
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Ubuntu:26.04:LTS",
"name": "dracut",
"purl": "pkg:deb/ubuntu/dracut@110-11ubuntu0.1?arch=source\u0026distro=resolute"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
],
"versions": [
"108-3ubuntu3",
"108-8ubuntu1",
"109-5ubuntu1",
"109-7ubuntu1",
"109-9ubuntu1",
"109-11ubuntu1",
"110-1ubuntu2",
"110-3ubuntu1",
"110-5",
"110-7",
"110-10",
"110-11",
"110-11ubuntu0.1"
]
}
],
"aliases": [],
"details": "A flaw was found in dracut. A remote attacker on the adjacent network can exploit this vulnerability by providing specially crafted DHCP options, such as a malicious root-path, next-server, or bootfile name, to a system using dracut\u0027s NetworkManager-based initrd network module. These options are improperly handled and written into a temporary shell script without proper escaping, leading to command injection. This allows the attacker to achieve root code execution within the initramfs during system boot.",
"id": "UBUNTU-CVE-2026-16445",
"modified": "2026-09-15T00:56:46Z",
"published": "2026-07-21T13:17:00Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "REPORT",
"url": "https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2026-16445"
},
{
"type": "REPORT",
"url": "https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-16445"
},
{
"type": "REPORT",
"url": "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2459963"
}
],
"related": [],
"schema_version": "1.7.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
},
{
"score": "medium",
"type": "Ubuntu"
}
],
"upstream": [
"CVE-2026-16445"
]
}
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