CVE-2026-6266: Aap-controller: aap-gateway: account hijacking and unauthorized access via unverified email linking

Severity: high (CVSS 8.3 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.4% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-05-04 · updated 2026-10-26
Weakness: CWE-305

Description

A flaw was found in the AAP gateway. The user auto-link strategy, introduced in AAP 2.6, automatically links an external Identity Provider (IDP) identity to an existing AAP user account based on email matching without verifying email ownership. This allows a remote attacker to potentially hijack a victim's account or gain unauthorized access to other accounts, including administrative accounts, by manipulating the IDP-provided email.

Affected products

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8: all versions — fixed in 0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap, 0:4.6.28-3.el8ap
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9: all versions — fixed in 0:2.5.20260422-2.el9ap, 0:4.6.28-3.el9ap
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6: all versions — fixed in 1777311120, 1777377014
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9: all versions — fixed in 0:2.6.20260422-1.el9ap, 0:4.7.11-2.el9ap

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8 0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap, 0:4.6.28-3.el8ap; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 9 0:2.5.20260422-2.el9ap, 0:4.6.28-3.el9ap; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 1777311120, 1777377014; Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.6 for RHEL 9 0:2.6.20260422-1.el9ap, 0:4.7.11-2.el9ap. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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