Auth bypass in Containerd
CVE-2026-53492
containerd is an open-source container runtime. In Versions prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9, the CRI implementation improperly trusts Container Device Interface (CDI) annotations found within untrusted checkpoint image metadata during container restoration. When restoring a container from a checkpoint, containerd preserves CDI-related annotations from the checkpoint archive rather than relying solely on the pod's create-time specification. This allows a user with pod creation permissions to bypass standard Kubernetes resource allocation and device plugin enforcement, injecting arbitrary CDI edits (such as device nodes and host mounts) into the restored container. Successful exploitation requires that the node has CDI enabled and contains a matching host CDI specification for the requested device; environments where CDI is disabled or lacking sensitive device specifications are not affected. This issue has been fixed in versions 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9.
Vulnerability class: Drupalgeddon 2 (CVE-2018-7600)
EPSS: 0.003 (27.3th 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
- Containerd — versions >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.9, >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.5, >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.2
- Linuxfoundation Containerd
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- security-advisories@github.com (x_refsource_CONFIRM, Mitigation, Vendor Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-53492?
- CVE-2026-53492 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Containerd, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 9.6/10. Published 2026-07-01.
- How severe is CVE-2026-53492?
- Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.6 out of 10.