Is there a public exploit for CVE-2026-16445?

No public exploit for CVE-2026-16445 was found in Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei templates or public proof-of-concept repositories. That is an absence of evidence rather than proof that none exists.

How severe is CVE-2026-16445?

CVE-2026-16445 scores CVSS 7.5 (v3.1), rated high. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 3.22%.

What does CVE-2026-16445 affect?

CVE-2026-16445 affects Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.8 Update Services for SAP Solutions, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.

7.5 High

A flaw was found in dracut.

CVE-2026-16445

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'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.

Assessment

CVSS: 7.5 (v3.1)
Severity: High
EPSS: 3.22% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Known exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Exploit availability: Nothing found in Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei or public PoC repositories
Published: 21 July 2026
Last updated: 2 November 2026
Affected: Red Hat · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support Long-Life Add-On · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 Advanced Mission Critical Update Support
Assigner: redhat

CVSS vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

At the source

EUVD (ENISA)

References

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