CVE-2026-50540
Kata Containers: Config Path Annotation Arbitrary File Loading
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- GitHub_M
Description
Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. Prior to version 4.0.0, kata-runtime is vulnerable to host code execution via an unvalidated configuration path annotation. The runtime accepts an arbitrary io.katacontainers.config_path pod annotation and loads the referenced host TOML file without restriction. As a result, a pod user who can place a file at a host-visible path can supply a configuration that selects an attacker-controlled hypervisor or virtio-fs daemon binary, executing code as root on the host. This issue is fixed in version 4.0.0.
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 2 months later
· 2 months later
Published
- 17 days later
· 17 days later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | Critical9.6 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N |
| NVDNVD · Deferred | 3.1 | Critical9.6 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.43% · top 63% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.6.
Weakness
Affected products
kata-containers · kata-containers
- affected < 4.0.0
References (4)
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/security/advisories/GHSA-mp2j-xm59-qfgw (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/commit/03cc670076099530f4e1e9cb22849afdafb20f65 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/23/3 (opens in a new tab)
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/08/24/1 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2026-50540)Record last updated .