Path Traversal in Kata-Containers
CVE-2026-50540
Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. Prior to version 4.0.0, kata-runtime is vulnerable to host code execution via an unvalidated configuration path annotation. The runtime accepts an arbitrary io.katacontainers.config_path pod annotation and loads the referenced host TOML file without restriction. As a result, a pod user who can place a file at a host-visible path can supply a configuration that selects an attacker-controlled hypervisor or virtio-fs daemon binary, executing code as root on the host. This issue is fixed in version 4.0.0.
Vulnerability class: Drupalgeddon 2 (CVE-2018-7600)
EPSS: 0.004 (34.2th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 9.6 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N.
Affected products
- Kata-containers — versions < 4.0.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_MISC)
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM)
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-50540?
- CVE-2026-50540 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Kata-Containers, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 9.6/10. Published 2026-08-07.
- How severe is CVE-2026-50540?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.6 out of 10.