CVE Intelligence
Medium

CVE-2026-105768 — apko /etc/passwd and /etc/group UID/GID truncation writes package-supplied entries as root

apko allows users to build and publish OCI container images built from apk packages. From version 0.2.0 to before version 1.4.5, UserEntry.Parse and GroupEntry.Parse in pkg/passwd read the UID and GID fields of /etc/passwd and /etc/group entries with strconv.Atoi and convert them to uint32 without a range check. On 64-bit platforms an out-of-range value such as 4294967296 (2^32) is truncated to 0, and negative values wrap. Because apko parses the passwd and group entries supplied by the packages it installs and writes them back into the image, an attacker who controls a package installed into the image can ship an entry that appears to declare an unprivileged UID or GID but is written into the built image as UID 0 or GID 0 (root). The truncated UID is also used when resolving the image's run-as user. This issue has been fixed in version 1.4.5.

Published Oct 5, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: chainguard

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+3
  • Technical severity (medium)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.3%
ahead of 21% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026
Affects
Chainguard-dev
Apko
CVSS base
6.3
Medium · 2 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Chainguard-dev Apko).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  4. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Chainguard-dev Apko ≥ 0.2.0 and < 1.4.5 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
Present
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
X
Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
None
Integrity (vulnerable system)
Low
Availability (vulnerable system)
None
Confidentiality (subsequent)
None
Integrity (subsequent)
Low
Availability (subsequent)
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
6.3 CVSS 4.0 Medium — — 82cea9a6-e9e3-46fe-bdb0-3673de380178 via NIST National Vulnerability Database
6.3 CVSS 4.0 Medium — — chainguard via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/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 (score shown at the top: 82cea9a6-e9e3-46fe-bdb0-3673de380178)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-197

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 0.30%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · chainguard-dev/apko
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 6.3
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Deferred
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Oct 5, 2026 · chainguard

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

4 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Chainguard-dev
every CVE for this vendor
CWE-197
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • High CVE-2026-54174 melange: Incomplete package integrity verification allows data section substitution Sep 11, 2026
  • High CVE-2026-42575 apko doesn't verify downloaded apk packages against APKINDEX checksum (package substitution possible) May 9, 2026
  • High CVE-2026-42574 apko dirFS has a symlink-following path traversal that allows multiple entry points to escape the build root May 9, 2026
  • Medium CVE-2026-42576 apko `DiscoverKeys` has a panic on non-rsa jwks key that causes crash during key discovery May 9, 2026
  • High CVE-2026-25140 apko affected by potential unbounded resource consumption in expandapk.ExpandApk on attacker-controlled .apk streams Feb 4, 2026
  • High CVE-2026-25121 apko is vulnerable to path traversal in apko dirFS which allows filesystem writes outside base Feb 4, 2026

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-105768 is "apko /etc/passwd and /etc/group UID/GID truncation writes package-supplied entries as root", rated Medium. It affects Apko (Chainguard-dev); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 6.3 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.30% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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