oc-mirror: Path traversal with arbitrary file write in catalog extraction
Summary
oc-mirror, the tool that mirrors OpenShift operator catalogs into disconnected environments, does not check that extracted tar entries stay inside the target directory. A malicious or compromised operator catalog image can therefore write arbitrary files on the host running oc-mirror, with that process's privileges. The flaw is triggered when mirroring a crafted catalog through the legacy --v1 path or the --use-oci-feature path, and an attacker needs local access to the mirroring workflow.
Affected
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 (oc-mirror, packaged as openshift4/oc-mirror-plugin-rhel9)
- Exact affected version ranges: Unknown.
Fixed in
- Unknown. Developer fix pull requests exist, but no confirmed GA fixed version was found.
- Check the Red Hat CVE page and the OpenShift errata for the oc-mirror-plugin image version in use.
Workaround
- No vendor workaround available. Red Hat states that mitigation is not available or does not meet its criteria.
Exploitation
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
- Not listed in CISA KEV.
- No public proof of concept found; absence of evidence is not proof.
Our recommendation
- Mirror operator catalogs only from trusted, known registries.
- Run oc-mirror as a non-root user in a dedicated, disposable working directory without sensitive files.
- Limit who can run mirroring jobs and review catalog changes before mirroring.
- Upgrade oc-mirror as soon as Red Hat publishes a fixed GA release.
- Monitor the Red Hat CVE page for updates.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Red Hat CVE page CVE-2026-101295 access.redhat.com
- Red Hat Bugzilla 2522941 bugzilla.redhat.com
- oc-mirror catalog_images.go (vulnerable code) github.com
- oc-mirror fbc_operators.go (vulnerable code) github.com
- OpenCVE CVE-2026-101295 app.opencve.io
- Fix pull request #1598 (release-4.13) github.com
- Fix pull request #1595 (release-4.17) github.com
- Vulners/Mend MEND:CVE-2026-101295 vulners.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 3 Nov 2026, 02:43.
Original description (NVD)
Path traversal / arbitrary file write in oc-mirror's operator catalog image extraction. When mirroring operator catalogs using either the legacy v1 path (--v1) or the OCI feature path (--use-oci-feature), oc-mirror extracts tar entries from catalog image layers without validating that file paths resolve within the intended destination directory.
NVD references (4)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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