CVE-2026-53488
Description
A flaw was found in containerd, an open-source container runtime. The Container Runtime Interface (CRI) plugin, which manages container operations, fails to validate labels propagated from an image configuration to a container. This oversight could enable an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the host system through a plugin that processes these unvalidated labels. The primary impact is host-root command execution, allowing unauthorized control over the underlying system.
Statement
A flaw was found in containerd where the CRI plugin propagates labels from an image configuration (LABEL instruction in a Dockerfile) to a container without validation. This may result in executing an arbitrary command on the host via a plugin that consumes container labels for operations, such as the restart-monitor binary:// logger. An attacker who can cause a crafted container image to be pulled and run can achieve host-level code execution.
Mitigation
Restrict container image pulls to trusted registries using admission policies or image signature verification. Where containerd is used as the container runtime, disable or restrict the binary:// logger URI scheme in the containerd configuration to prevent the label-to-logger attack path.
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 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 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 | High | High | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality,Integrity,Availability,Non-Repudiation
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; Read Files or Directories; Modify Files or Directories; Read Application Data; Modify Application Data; Hide Activities
Attackers could execute unauthorized operating system commands, which could then be used to disable the product, or read and modify data for which the attacker does not have permissions to access directly. Since the targeted application is directly executing the commands instead of the attacker, any malicious activities may appear to come from the application or the application's owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
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