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NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

CVE-2026-53488: containerd CRI plugin: — image-config `LABEL` flows to restart-monitor `binary://` logger: host-root command execution from an image pull

CriticalCVSS 9.4 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 37/100)

  • 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: 0.17% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: containerd (Alpine:v3.24) 2.3.2-r0; containerd (Debian:14) 2.1.9+ds1-1; github.com/containerd/containerd (Go) 1.7.33.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to containerd (Alpine:v3.24) 2.3.2-r0; containerd (Debian:14) 2.1.9+ds1-1; github.com/containerd/containerd (Go) 1.7.33 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. In versions prior to 1.7.33, 2.3.2, 2.2.5, 2.1.9, and 2.0.10 the CRI plugin propagates labels from an image config (LABEL instruction in 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 some operations. This issue has been fixed in versions 1.7.33, 2.3.2, 2.2.5, 2.1.9, and 2.0.10.

Published
Jun 30, 2026
Updated
Jul 3, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 7th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

37

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
37 / 40 · 9.4 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · GitHub_M
9.4
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

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

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2026-53488

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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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.

VendorProduct
linuxfoundationcontainerd

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

Watch new CVEs for containerd

When you'll hear from us

  • when a new CVE affecting this product is published
  • when a record in your stack enters KEV or is weaponized

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits every 10 minutes on paid plans, on the hour on the free plan.

Your free account also gets you

  • CVE alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools, at most 30 a day (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

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Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every Monday

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

    • < 1.7.33, >= 2.0.0, < 2.0.10, >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.9, >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.5, >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.2affected
Affected versions · NVD (5)

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

  • linuxfoundation containerd1.7.0 and later · before 1.7.33
  • linuxfoundation containerd2.0.0 and later · before 2.0.10
  • linuxfoundation containerd2.1.0 and later · before 2.1.9
  • linuxfoundation containerd2.2.0 and later · before 2.2.5
  • linuxfoundation containerd2.3.0 and later · before 2.3.2

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Alpine:v3.24containerdfrom 1.7.0 · before 2.3.2-r02.3.2-r0
Debian:12containerdfrom 0—
Debian:14containerdbefore 2.1.9+ds1-12.1.9+ds1-1
Gogithub.com/containerd/containerdfrom 1.7.0 · before 1.7.331.7.33
Gogithub.com/containerd/containerd/v2from 2.0.0 · before 2.0.102.0.10
Gogithub.com/containerd/containerd/v2from 2.1.0 · before 2.1.92.1.9
Gogithub.com/containerd/containerd/v2from 2.2.0 · before 2.2.52.2.5
Gogithub.com/containerd/containerd/v2from 2.3.0 · before 2.3.22.3.2
openSUSE:Leap 16.0containerdbefore 1.7.33-160000.1.11.7.33-160000.1.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0trivybefore 0.71.2-160000.1.10.71.2-160000.1.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedcontainerdbefore 1.7.33-1.11.7.33-1.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedtrivybefore 0.71.2-1.10.71.2-1.1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1trivybefore 0:0.72.0-0.1.hum10:0.72.0-0.1.hum1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3containerdbefore 1.7.29-150000.149.11.7.29-150000.149.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSScontainerdbefore 1.7.29-16.116.11.7.29-16.116.1
SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0containerdbefore 1.7.29-159998.1.11.7.29-159998.1.1
SUSE:Linux Micro 6.1containerdbefore 1.7.29-slfo.1.1_5.11.7.29-slfo.1.1_5.1

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-2021-43816Improper Preservation of Permissions in containerd
    37Monitor
  • CVE-2026-53492containerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling
    33Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2024-25621Nov 6, 2025 · containerd affected by a local privilege escalation via wide permissions on CRI directory
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-64329Nov 7, 2025 · containerd CRI server: Host memory exhaustion through Attach goroutine leak
    27Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-46680Jul 1, 2026 · containerd user ID handling bypass allows runAsNonRoot evasion
    29Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

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

Product / packageFixed versionSource
alpine:containerd2.3.2-r0 · Alpine:v3.24Package registry (OSV)
debian:containerd2.1.9+ds1-1 · Debian:14Package registry (OSV)
Go:github.com/containerd/containerd1.7.33Package registry (OSV)
Go:github.com/containerd/containerd/v22.0.10Package registry (OSV)
Go:github.com/containerd/containerd/v22.1.9Package registry (OSV)
Go:github.com/containerd/containerd/v22.2.5Package registry (OSV)
Go:github.com/containerd/containerd/v22.3.2Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:containerd1.7.33-1.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
opensuse:trivy0.71.2-1.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:trivy0:0.72.0-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1Package registry (OSV)
suse:containerd1.7.29-159998.1.1 · SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0Package 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.

Variant candidates

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

  • CVE-2026-534921 days apartcontainerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling
    33Monitor

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

nvd-secondary

Attack context

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

References

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

All records