* [PATCH v3] qga: Change effective user/group ID in guest-ssh-* commands
@ 2026-08-10 14:06 Kostiantyn Kostiuk
2026-08-10 14:10 ` Daniel P. Berrangé
2026-08-10 14:17 ` Peter Maydell
0 siblings, 2 replies; 4+ messages in thread
From: Kostiantyn Kostiuk @ 2026-08-10 14:06 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: qemu-devel
Cc: Valentino Paulon, Daniel P . Berrangé, Yan Vugenfirer,
Peter Maydell, Kostiantyn Kostiuk, Michael Roth
Before this commit, when qmp_guest_ssh_add_authorized_keys adds an
SSH key for an existing local user, the agent (running as root) decides
whether to create the user's .ssh directory with a symlink-following
directory test, and then writes and chowns the authorized_keys file.
A local unprivileged user who owns their home directory can pre-stage
their .ssh directory (or the authorized_keys file) as a symbolic link
so that, when the host or operator triggers a key add for that user,
the root agent follows the link and transfers ownership of an arbitrary
root-owned file or directory to the unprivileged user, who can then rewrite
it to obtain root.
Fixes: CVE-2026-12080
Fixes: https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/work_items/3929
v1: https://patchew.org/QEMU/20260709105707.91209-1-kkostiuk@redhat.com/
v2 -> v1:
Change effective user/group ID instead of checking for symlinks and
changing ownership of the file.
v2: https://patchew.org/QEMU/20260810104659.82320-1-kkostiuk@redhat.com
v3 -> v2:
Deduplicate code.
Fail daemon when can't rollback effective user/group ID.
Reported-by: Valentino Paulon <valentino.paulon88@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Kostiantyn Kostiuk <kkostiuk@redhat.com>
---
qga/commands-posix-ssh.c | 66 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 66 insertions(+)
diff --git a/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c b/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
index 661972e34e..070cdffcd0 100644
--- a/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
+++ b/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
@@ -8,11 +8,29 @@
#include <glib/gstdio.h>
#include <locale.h>
#include <pwd.h>
+#include <grp.h>
#include "commands-common-ssh.h"
#include "qapi/error.h"
#include "qga-qapi-commands.h"
+typedef struct EffectiveUserInfo {
+ uid_t uid;
+ gid_t gid;
+} EffectiveUserInfo;
+
+typedef EffectiveUserInfo *PEffectiveUserInfo;
+
+static void rollback_effective_info(PEffectiveUserInfo info)
+{
+ if (info) {
+ assert(seteuid(info->uid) == 0);
+ assert(setegid(info->gid) == 0);
+ }
+}
+
+G_DEFINE_AUTO_CLEANUP_FREE_FUNC(PEffectiveUserInfo, rollback_effective_info, NULL);
+
#ifdef QGA_BUILD_UNIT_TEST
static struct passwd *
test_get_passwd_entry(const gchar *user_name, GError **error)
@@ -112,6 +130,36 @@ write_authkeys(const char *path, const GStrv keys,
return true;
}
+static PEffectiveUserInfo set_privileges_to_user(const struct passwd *p, Error **errp)
+{
+ g_auto(PEffectiveUserInfo) info = g_new0(EffectiveUserInfo, 1);
+
+ info->uid = geteuid();
+ info->gid = getegid();
+
+#ifndef QGA_BUILD_UNIT_TEST
+ /* The initgroups requires CAP_SETGID. During build time unit tests, we can't do this. */
+ if (initgroups(p->pw_name, p->pw_gid) == -1) {
+ error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "failed to set group for user '%s'",
+ p->pw_name);
+ return NULL;
+ }
+#endif
+
+ if (setegid(p->pw_gid) == -1) {
+ error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "failed to set effective group ID for user '%s'",
+ p->pw_name);
+ return NULL;
+ }
+ if (seteuid(p->pw_uid) == -1) {
+ error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "failed to set effective user ID for user '%s'",
+ p->pw_name);
+ return NULL;
+ }
+
+ return g_steal_pointer(&info);
+}
+
void
qmp_guest_ssh_add_authorized_keys(const char *username, strList *keys,
bool has_reset, bool reset,
@@ -123,6 +171,7 @@ qmp_guest_ssh_add_authorized_keys(const char *username, strList *keys,
g_auto(GStrv) authkeys = NULL;
strList *k;
size_t nkeys, nauthkeys;
+ g_auto(PEffectiveUserInfo) effective_user_info = NULL;
reset = has_reset && reset;
@@ -135,6 +184,11 @@ qmp_guest_ssh_add_authorized_keys(const char *username, strList *keys,
return;
}
+ effective_user_info = set_privileges_to_user(p, errp);
+ if (effective_user_info == NULL) {
+ return;
+ }
+
ssh_path = g_build_filename(p->pw_dir, ".ssh", NULL);
authkeys_path = g_build_filename(ssh_path, "authorized_keys", NULL);
@@ -172,6 +226,7 @@ qmp_guest_ssh_remove_authorized_keys(const char *username, strList *keys,
g_auto(GStrv) authkeys = NULL;
GStrv a;
size_t nkeys = 0;
+ g_auto(PEffectiveUserInfo) effective_user_info = NULL;
if (!check_openssh_pub_keys(keys, NULL, errp)) {
return;
@@ -182,6 +237,11 @@ qmp_guest_ssh_remove_authorized_keys(const char *username, strList *keys,
return;
}
+ effective_user_info = set_privileges_to_user(p, errp);
+ if (effective_user_info == NULL) {
+ return;
+ }
+
authkeys_path = g_build_filename(p->pw_dir, ".ssh",
"authorized_keys", NULL);
if (!g_file_test(authkeys_path, G_FILE_TEST_EXISTS)) {
@@ -219,12 +279,18 @@ qmp_guest_ssh_get_authorized_keys(const char *username, Error **errp)
g_auto(GStrv) authkeys = NULL;
g_autoptr(GuestAuthorizedKeys) ret = NULL;
int i;
+ g_auto(PEffectiveUserInfo) effective_user_info = NULL;
p = get_passwd_entry(username, errp);
if (p == NULL) {
return NULL;
}
+ effective_user_info = set_privileges_to_user(p, errp);
+ if (effective_user_info == NULL) {
+ return NULL;
+ }
+
authkeys_path = g_build_filename(p->pw_dir, ".ssh",
"authorized_keys", NULL);
authkeys = read_authkeys(authkeys_path, errp);
--
2.55.0
^ permalink raw reply related [flat|nested] 4+ messages in thread* Re: [PATCH v3] qga: Change effective user/group ID in guest-ssh-* commands
2026-08-10 14:06 [PATCH v3] qga: Change effective user/group ID in guest-ssh-* commands Kostiantyn Kostiuk
@ 2026-08-10 14:10 ` Daniel P. Berrangé
2026-08-10 14:17 ` Peter Maydell
1 sibling, 0 replies; 4+ messages in thread
From: Daniel P. Berrangé @ 2026-08-10 14:10 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Kostiantyn Kostiuk
Cc: qemu-devel, Valentino Paulon, Yan Vugenfirer, Peter Maydell,
Michael Roth
On Mon, Aug 10, 2026 at 05:06:41PM +0300, Kostiantyn Kostiuk wrote:
> Before this commit, when qmp_guest_ssh_add_authorized_keys adds an
> SSH key for an existing local user, the agent (running as root) decides
> whether to create the user's .ssh directory with a symlink-following
> directory test, and then writes and chowns the authorized_keys file.
> A local unprivileged user who owns their home directory can pre-stage
> their .ssh directory (or the authorized_keys file) as a symbolic link
> so that, when the host or operator triggers a key add for that user,
> the root agent follows the link and transfers ownership of an arbitrary
> root-owned file or directory to the unprivileged user, who can then rewrite
> it to obtain root.
>
> Fixes: CVE-2026-12080
> Fixes: https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/work_items/3929
>
> v1: https://patchew.org/QEMU/20260709105707.91209-1-kkostiuk@redhat.com/
> v2 -> v1:
> Change effective user/group ID instead of checking for symlinks and
> changing ownership of the file.
>
> v2: https://patchew.org/QEMU/20260810104659.82320-1-kkostiuk@redhat.com
> v3 -> v2:
> Deduplicate code.
> Fail daemon when can't rollback effective user/group ID.
>
> Reported-by: Valentino Paulon <valentino.paulon88@gmail.com>
> Signed-off-by: Kostiantyn Kostiuk <kkostiuk@redhat.com>
> ---
> qga/commands-posix-ssh.c | 66 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> 1 file changed, 66 insertions(+)
Reviewed-by: Daniel P. Berrangé <berrange@redhat.com>
With regards,
Daniel
--
|: https://berrange.com ~~ https://hachyderm.io/@berrange :|
|: https://libvirt.org ~~ https://entangle-photo.org :|
|: https://pixelfed.art/berrange ~~ https://fstop138.berrange.com :|
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 4+ messages in thread
* Re: [PATCH v3] qga: Change effective user/group ID in guest-ssh-* commands
2026-08-10 14:06 [PATCH v3] qga: Change effective user/group ID in guest-ssh-* commands Kostiantyn Kostiuk
2026-08-10 14:10 ` Daniel P. Berrangé
@ 2026-08-10 14:17 ` Peter Maydell
2026-08-10 14:28 ` Kostiantyn Kostiuk
1 sibling, 1 reply; 4+ messages in thread
From: Peter Maydell @ 2026-08-10 14:17 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Kostiantyn Kostiuk
Cc: qemu-devel, Valentino Paulon, Daniel P . Berrangé,
Yan Vugenfirer, Michael Roth
On Mon, 10 Aug 2026 at 15:07, Kostiantyn Kostiuk <kkostiuk@redhat.com> wrote:
>
> Before this commit, when qmp_guest_ssh_add_authorized_keys adds an
> SSH key for an existing local user, the agent (running as root) decides
> whether to create the user's .ssh directory with a symlink-following
> directory test, and then writes and chowns the authorized_keys file.
> A local unprivileged user who owns their home directory can pre-stage
> their .ssh directory (or the authorized_keys file) as a symbolic link
> so that, when the host or operator triggers a key add for that user,
> the root agent follows the link and transfers ownership of an arbitrary
> root-owned file or directory to the unprivileged user, who can then rewrite
> it to obtain root.
>
> Fixes: CVE-2026-12080
> Fixes: https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/work_items/3929
>
> v1: https://patchew.org/QEMU/20260709105707.91209-1-kkostiuk@redhat.com/
> v2 -> v1:
> Change effective user/group ID instead of checking for symlinks and
> changing ownership of the file.
>
> v2: https://patchew.org/QEMU/20260810104659.82320-1-kkostiuk@redhat.com
> v3 -> v2:
> Deduplicate code.
> Fail daemon when can't rollback effective user/group ID.
>
> Reported-by: Valentino Paulon <valentino.paulon88@gmail.com>
> Signed-off-by: Kostiantyn Kostiuk <kkostiuk@redhat.com>
> ---
> qga/commands-posix-ssh.c | 66 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> 1 file changed, 66 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git a/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c b/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
> index 661972e34e..070cdffcd0 100644
> --- a/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
> +++ b/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
> @@ -8,11 +8,29 @@
> #include <glib/gstdio.h>
> #include <locale.h>
> #include <pwd.h>
> +#include <grp.h>
>
> #include "commands-common-ssh.h"
> #include "qapi/error.h"
> #include "qga-qapi-commands.h"
>
> +typedef struct EffectiveUserInfo {
> + uid_t uid;
> + gid_t gid;
> +} EffectiveUserInfo;
> +
> +typedef EffectiveUserInfo *PEffectiveUserInfo;
> +
> +static void rollback_effective_info(PEffectiveUserInfo info)
> +{
> + if (info) {
> + assert(seteuid(info->uid) == 0);
> + assert(setegid(info->gid) == 0);
A brief comment here about why we're happy to assert() here would
be helpful.
> + }
> +}
> +
> +G_DEFINE_AUTO_CLEANUP_FREE_FUNC(PEffectiveUserInfo, rollback_effective_info, NULL);
Don't we also need to g_free(info) in the cleanup function?
thanks
-- PMM
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 4+ messages in thread* Re: [PATCH v3] qga: Change effective user/group ID in guest-ssh-* commands
2026-08-10 14:17 ` Peter Maydell
@ 2026-08-10 14:28 ` Kostiantyn Kostiuk
0 siblings, 0 replies; 4+ messages in thread
From: Kostiantyn Kostiuk @ 2026-08-10 14:28 UTC (permalink / raw)
To: Peter Maydell
Cc: qemu-devel, Valentino Paulon, Daniel P . Berrangé,
Yan Vugenfirer, Michael Roth
[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 2769 bytes --]
On Mon, Aug 10, 2026 at 5:17 PM Peter Maydell <peter.maydell@linaro.org>
wrote:
> On Mon, 10 Aug 2026 at 15:07, Kostiantyn Kostiuk <kkostiuk@redhat.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Before this commit, when qmp_guest_ssh_add_authorized_keys adds an
> > SSH key for an existing local user, the agent (running as root) decides
> > whether to create the user's .ssh directory with a symlink-following
> > directory test, and then writes and chowns the authorized_keys file.
> > A local unprivileged user who owns their home directory can pre-stage
> > their .ssh directory (or the authorized_keys file) as a symbolic link
> > so that, when the host or operator triggers a key add for that user,
> > the root agent follows the link and transfers ownership of an arbitrary
> > root-owned file or directory to the unprivileged user, who can then
> rewrite
> > it to obtain root.
> >
> > Fixes: CVE-2026-12080
> > Fixes: https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/qemu/-/work_items/3929
> >
> > v1: https://patchew.org/QEMU/20260709105707.91209-1-kkostiuk@redhat.com/
> > v2 -> v1:
> > Change effective user/group ID instead of checking for symlinks and
> > changing ownership of the file.
> >
> > v2: https://patchew.org/QEMU/20260810104659.82320-1-kkostiuk@redhat.com
> > v3 -> v2:
> > Deduplicate code.
> > Fail daemon when can't rollback effective user/group ID.
> >
> > Reported-by: Valentino Paulon <valentino.paulon88@gmail.com>
> > Signed-off-by: Kostiantyn Kostiuk <kkostiuk@redhat.com>
> > ---
> > qga/commands-posix-ssh.c | 66 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> > 1 file changed, 66 insertions(+)
> >
> > diff --git a/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c b/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
> > index 661972e34e..070cdffcd0 100644
> > --- a/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
> > +++ b/qga/commands-posix-ssh.c
> > @@ -8,11 +8,29 @@
> > #include <glib/gstdio.h>
> > #include <locale.h>
> > #include <pwd.h>
> > +#include <grp.h>
> >
> > #include "commands-common-ssh.h"
> > #include "qapi/error.h"
> > #include "qga-qapi-commands.h"
> >
> > +typedef struct EffectiveUserInfo {
> > + uid_t uid;
> > + gid_t gid;
> > +} EffectiveUserInfo;
> > +
> > +typedef EffectiveUserInfo *PEffectiveUserInfo;
> > +
> > +static void rollback_effective_info(PEffectiveUserInfo info)
> > +{
> > + if (info) {
> > + assert(seteuid(info->uid) == 0);
> > + assert(setegid(info->gid) == 0);
>
> A brief comment here about why we're happy to assert() here would
> be helpful.
>
Done
>
> > + }
> > +}
> > +
> > +G_DEFINE_AUTO_CLEANUP_FREE_FUNC(PEffectiveUserInfo,
> rollback_effective_info, NULL);
>
> Don't we also need to g_free(info) in the cleanup function?
>
You are right
>
> thanks
> -- PMM
>
>
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2026-08-10 14:06 [PATCH v3] qga: Change effective user/group ID in guest-ssh-* commands Kostiantyn Kostiuk
2026-08-10 14:10 ` Daniel P. Berrangé
2026-08-10 14:17 ` Peter Maydell
2026-08-10 14:28 ` Kostiantyn Kostiuk
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