CVE-2026-53489
Description
A flaw was found in containerd, an open-source container runtime. The Container Runtime Interface (CRI) plugin incorrectly restores container logs from a checkpoint image. This vulnerability, categorized as a Path Traversal (CWE-61), allows an attacker to read arbitrary files on the host system by manipulating symlinked paths during the checkpoint restore process. This can lead to unauthorized information disclosure from the host.
Statement
This vulnerability is not exploitable in several Red Hat products listed in the affect table. These products use CRI-O as the container runtime rather than containerd. Although some shipped images include the containerd Go module (primarily v1.x, and in a few cases containerd v2.x API client libraries) as a build-time dependency for OCI image handling, they do not execute the containerd daemon or its CRI plugin. As a result, the vulnerable containerd CRI checkpoint-restore code path is not exercised.
Mitigation
For Red Hat OpenShift and layered products, CRI-O is the supported container runtime, so the vulnerable containerd CRI checkpoint-restore code path is not exercised during normal cluster operation. Customers should nevertheless apply Red Hat product errata as they become available to receive updates for affected operator, must-gather and tooling images that may bundle the containerd Go module.
If containerd is deployed as the container runtime with CRI checkpoint/restore enabled, disable checkpoint/restore functionality until a fixed version of containerd can be applied.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.5 | 6.5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Changed | Changed | N/A |
| Confidentiality | High | High | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | None | None | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Access Control
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories; Bypass Protection Mechanism
An attacker may be able to traverse the file system to unintended locations and read or overwrite the contents of unexpected files. If the files are used for a security mechanism then an attacker may be able to bypass the mechanism.
Other
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Windows simple shortcuts, sometimes referred to as soft links, can be exploited remotely since a ".LNK" file can be uploaded like a normal file. This can enable remote execution.
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