NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

CVE-2021-41103: Insufficiently restricted permissions on plugin directories

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 31/100)

The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.51% (FIRST EPSS).
Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
Fixed version: containerd (Debian:11) 1.4.5~ds1-2+deb11u1; containerd (Debian:12) 1.5.7~ds1-1; github.com/containerd/containerd (Go) 1.5.7, 1.4.11.
Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Low priority for now. Upgrade to containerd (Debian:11) 1.4.5~ds1-2+deb11u1; containerd (Debian:12) 1.5.7~ds1-1; github.com/containerd/containerd (Go) 1.5.7, 1.4.11 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

containerd is an open source container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability. A bug was found in containerd where container root directories and some plugins had insufficiently restricted permissions, allowing otherwise unprivileged Linux users to traverse directory contents and execute programs. When containers included executable programs with extended permission bits (such as setuid), unprivileged Linux users could discover and execute those programs. When the UID of an unprivileged Linux user on the host collided with the file owner or group inside a container, the unprivileged Linux user on the host could discover, read, and modify those files. This vulnerability has been fixed in containerd 1.4.11 and containerd 1.5.7. Users should update to these version when they are released and may restart containers or update directory permissions to mitigate the vulnerability. Users unable to update should limit access to the host to trusted users. Update directory permission on container bundles directories.

HighCVSS 7.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Published: Oct 4, 2021
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
EPSS: 0.5% · 43th percentile
CWE: CWE-22

Report tools

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Action score

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS: 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
CISA KEV: 0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS: 0 / 30 · 0.5%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD: 7.8
CNA · GitHub_M: 5.9; 1.9 point gap

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
No public exploit code on record
A fix has been released

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

Vendor	Product	CPE
linuxfoundation	containerd	cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:containerd
fedoraproject	fedora	cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora
debian	debian linux	cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux

Using containerd? Add it to your stack and be the first to know about CVEs like this one. (Docker)

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

debian debian linux11.0
fedoraproject fedora34
fedoraproject fedora35
linuxfoundation containerdbefore 1.4.11
linuxfoundation containerd1.5.0 and later · before 1.5.7

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

containerd containerd
- < 1.4.11, >= 1.5.0, < 1.5.7affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

Ecosystem	Package	Affected range	Fix
Debian:11	containerd	before 1.4.5~ds1-2+deb11u1	1.4.5~ds1-2+deb11u1
Debian:12	containerd	before 1.5.7~ds1-1	1.5.7~ds1-1
Go	github.com/containerd/containerd	from 1.5.0 · before 1.5.7	1.5.7
Go	github.com/containerd/containerd	before 1.4.11	1.4.11
openSUSE:Leap 15.2	containerd	before 1.4.11-lp152.2.12.1	1.4.11-lp152.2.12.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.2	docker	before 20.10.9_ce-lp152.2.18.1	20.10.9_ce-lp152.2.18.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.2	runc	before 1.0.2-lp152.2.9.1	1.0.2-lp152.2.9.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.3	containerd	before 1.4.11-56.1	1.4.11-56.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.3	containerd	before 1.4.12-60.1	1.4.12-60.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.3	docker	before 20.10.12_ce-159.1	20.10.12_ce-159.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.3	docker	before 20.10.9_ce-156.1	20.10.9_ce-156.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.3	docker-kubic	before 20.10.9_ce-156.1	20.10.9_ce-156.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.3	docker-kubic	before 20.10.12_ce-159.1	20.10.12_ce-159.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.3	runc	before 1.0.2-23.1	1.0.2-23.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweed	containerd	before 1.4.11-1.1	1.4.11-1.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12	containerd	before 1.4.11-16.45.1	1.4.11-16.45.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12	containerd	before 1.4.12-16.49.1	1.4.12-16.49.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12	docker	before 20.10.12_ce-98.75.1	20.10.12_ce-98.75.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12	docker	before 20.10.9_ce-98.72.1	20.10.9_ce-98.72.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12	runc	before 1.0.2-16.14.1	1.0.2-16.14.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP2	containerd	before 1.4.11-56.1	1.4.11-56.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP2	docker	before 20.10.9_ce-156.1	20.10.9_ce-156.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP2	runc	before 1.0.2-23.1	1.0.2-23.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP3	containerd	before 1.4.12-60.1	1.4.12-60.1

Same product

linuxfoundation: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

CVE-2022-23648Insecure handling of image volumes in containerd CRI plugin
38Monitor
CVE-2026-53488containerd CRI plugin: — image-config `LABEL` flows to restart-monitor `binary://` logger: host-root command execution from an image pull
37Monitor
CVE-2021-43816Improper Preservation of Permissions in containerd
37Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

← EarlierCVE-2021-21334Mar 10, 2021 · environment variable leak
26Monitor
← EarlierCVE-2021-32760Jul 19, 2021 · Archive package allows chmod of file outside of unpack target directory
25Monitor
Later →CVE-2022-31030Jun 9, 2022 · containerd CRI plugin: Host memory exhaustion through ExecSync
22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / package	Fixed version	Source
debian:containerd	1.5.7~ds1-1 · Debian:12	Package registry (OSV)
Go:github.com/containerd/containerd	1.4.11	Package registry (OSV)
Go:github.com/containerd/containerd	1.5.7	Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:containerd	1.4.11-lp152.2.12.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.2	Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:docker	20.10.9_ce-lp152.2.18.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.2	Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:docker-kubic	20.10.9_ce-156.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.3	Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:runc	1.0.2-lp152.2.9.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.2	Package registry (OSV)
suse:containerd	1.4.11-16.45.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12	Package registry (OSV)
suse:docker	20.10.9_ce-98.72.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12	Package registry (OSV)
suse:runc	1.0.2-16.14.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12	Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

containerd/containerdcommit 5b46e40

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

TR-22-0433 · Jun 17, 2022(Siemens Endüstriyel Ürünler Zafiyeti)

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
A low-privileged account is enough.
No user action is required.
No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality: high · data can be read
Integrity: high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability: high · the service can be disrupted

Attack vector: Local
Attack complexity: Low
Privileges required: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality impact: High
Integrity impact: High
Availability impact: High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-22 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

1const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);
2res.sendFile(file);

Fixed

1const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);
2if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {
3  return res.sendStatus(400);
4}
5res.sendFile(file);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Attack patterns (CAPEC)

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

Fix✗ → ✓Sep 28, 2026, 10:46 PM UTC

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-222547.pdf

Show all references (6 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records