Privilege escalation in Containerd
CVE-2026-46680
containerd is an open-source container runtime. In versions prior to 1.7.32, 2.0.9, 2.2.4 and 2.3.1, containers launched with a numeric User directive that cannot be parsed as a 32-bit integer are incorrectly treated as a username, leading to runAsNonRoot evasion. If a crafted image provides an /etc/passwd file mapping this large numeric string to root, the container ultimately runs as root (UID 0). This allows the Kubernetes runAsNonRoot restriction to be bypassed, causing unexpected behavior for environments that require containers to run as a non-root user. This issue has been fixed in versions 1.7.32, 2.0.9, 2.2.4 and 2.3.1.
Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation
EPSS: 0.002 (12.8th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Containerd — versions < 1.7.32, >= 2.0.4, < 2.0.9, >= 2.0.10, < 2.2.4
- Linuxfoundation Containerd
Weakness classification (CWE)
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-46680?
- CVE-2026-46680 is a high-severity vulnerability in Containerd, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-07-01.
- How severe is CVE-2026-46680?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2026-46680 known to be exploited?
- 1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.