CVE-2026-41236
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedFroxlor is open source server administration software. Version 2.3.6 contains a symlink-following flaw in the root-owned SSH key synchronization path used for customer FTP users. The provisioning code appends public keys to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` under a customer-controlled home directory without verifying that the target path is not a symbolic link. If an attacker controls a shell-enabled customer account and can modify files inside the assigned home directory, the attacker can replace `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` with a symlink to `/root/.ssh/authorized_keys`. When Froxlor's privileged cron task later synchronizes SSH keys, it appends the attacker-supplied key into root's authorized key file, resulting in root SSH access. Version 2.3.7 contains a patch.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceFroxlor 2.3.6 contains a symlink-following vulnerability in its SSH key synchronization cron task. The code appends public keys to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys under customer-controlled home directories without checking if the target is a symlink. An attacker with shell access can replace authorized_keys with a symlink to /root/.ssh/authorized_keys, causing the privileged cron job to append their public key to root's authorized_keys file, granting root SSH access.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Froxlor versionCheck the installed Froxlor version by inspecting the version file or admin interface. Compare against 2.3.6.Affected if Version is exactly 2.3.6 (earlier versions may not have this feature, later versions 2.3.7+ contain the fix)
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Confirm SSH key sync feature is enabledExamine Froxlor configuration for the SSH key synchronization setting. Look for options that enable automatic public key propagation to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.Affected if The SSH key sync/synchronization feature is turned on in Froxlor settings
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Inspect home directories for symlinks to root SSHSearch all user home directories under /home/ for symbolic links within .ssh/ directories that point to /root/.ssh/authorized_keys or similar paths using: find /home -type l -name authorized_keys -ls
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Review authorized_keys for unexpected entriesCheck /root/.ssh/authorized_keys for public keys that were added by Froxlor's cron job but do not correspond to legitimate root-level accounts.Affected if Unexpected or unauthorized public keys appear in root's authorized_keys file
You are affected if running Froxlor 2.3.6 with SSH key sync enabled and an attacker with shell access has created a symlink to redirect key insertion to root's authorized_keys.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to Froxlor version 2.3.7 or later, which contains the patch. Alternatively, if immediate upgrading is not possible, disable customer SSH/key access or implement file integrity monitoring on symlinks within customer home directories.
2.3.7
- Upgrade Froxlor from version 2.3.6 to version 2.3.7 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-41236 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-41236 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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