CVE-2026-53492
Description
A flaw was found in containerd, an open-source container runtime. The Container Runtime Interface (CRI) implementation, which allows Kubernetes to interact with container runtimes, improperly trusts Container Device Interface (CDI) annotations found within untrusted checkpoint image metadata during container restoration. This vulnerability enables a user with permissions to create pods to bypass standard Kubernetes resource allocation and device plugin enforcement. Consequently, an attacker can inject arbitrary CDI edits, such as device nodes and host mounts, into the restored container, potentially leading to unauthorized resource access or privilege escalation.
Statement
This flaw is rated as Important. In Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, a user with pod creation permissions could bypass standard Kubernetes resource allocation and device plugin enforcement. This is due to containerd's Container Runtime Interface (CRI) improperly trusting Container Device Interface (CDI) annotations during container restoration. Exploitation requires CDI to be enabled on the node and a matching host CDI specification for the requested device.
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 | 8.2 | 9.6 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | High | 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 | High | High | N/A |
| Availability Impact | None | None | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Access Control,Availability,Other
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism; Gain Privileges or Assume Identity; Varies by Context
Attackers can bypass the security decision to access whatever is being protected. The consequences will depend on the associated functionality, but they can range from granting additional privileges to untrusted users to bypassing important security checks. Ultimately, this weakness may lead to exposure or modification of sensitive data, system crash, or execution of arbitrary code.
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