Review reviewHigh

CVE-2026-53489

containerd

containerd is an open-source container runtime. Versions prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9 contain a bug where the CRI plugin restores container.log from a checkpoint image without validating a symlinked path. This could result in reading an arbitrary file on the host via kubectl logs. This issue has been fixed in versions 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9.

CVSS
8.2
EPSS
0.19%
8.54% percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Published
2026.07.02
PRIORITY ASSESSMENT

Review review

The CVSS severity warrants an early asset and exposure review.

Known exploitationNot established by KEV
Exploit probability0.19%
Technical severityCVSS 8.2

Vulnerability overview

containerd is an open-source container runtime. Versions prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9 contain a bug where the CRI plugin restores container.log from a checkpoint image without validating a symlinked path. This could result in reading an arbitrary file on the host via kubectl logs. This issue has been fixed in versions 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9.

Affected product and versions

Product
containerd
Affected versions
>= 2.1.0, < 2.1.9, >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.5, >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.2, >= 2.1.0 < 2.1.9, >= 2.2.0 < 2.2.5, >= 2.3.0 < 2.3.2
Fixed versions
2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2

Recommended response sequence

Confirm exposure before applying a vendor-supported change.

Full remediation guide
  1. 1
    Identify

    Confirm that containerd and an affected version are present.

  2. 2
    Prioritize

    Combine exploitation signals with asset exposure and business criticality.

  3. 3
    Remediate

    Follow the vendor advisory or supported update path and preserve rollback options.

  4. 4
    Verify

    Recheck the version, service health, access paths, and relevant logs.

Technical data

CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/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
CWE
CWE-61