CVE Intelligence
Critical Logic error exploit reference

CVE-2026-24054 — Kata Containers: improper handling of empty rootfs triggers host block device hotplug

Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. In versions prior to 3.26.0, when a container image is malformed or contains no layers, containerd falls back to bind-mounting an empty snapshotter directory for the container rootfs. When the Kata runtime attempts to mount the container rootfs, the bind mount causes the rootfs to be detected as a block device, leading to the underlying device being hotplugged to the guest. This can cause filesystem-level errors on the host due to double inode allocation, and may lead to the host's block device being mounted as read-only. Version 3.26.0 contains a patch for the issue.

Published Jan 29, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: GitHub_M

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 0.5% (30-day exploitation probability)+6
  • Technical severity (critical)+10
  • CISA SSVC: exploitation "poc"+5
  • Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+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
0.5%
ahead of 42% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026
Affects
Katacontainers
Kata Containers
CVSS base
10.0
Critical · 3 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
Proof of concept
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
Yes
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.

  • Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
  • Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
  • Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
  • Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
  • Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

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 (Katacontainers Kata Containers).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
  4. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (logic error), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Katacontainers Kata Containers < 3.26.0 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Katacontainers Kata Containers version < 3.26.0 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
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Every base score collected

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

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
8.8 CVSS 4.0 High — — security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.8 CVSS 4.0 High — — GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
10.0 CVSS 3.1 Critical 3.9 5.8 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-754 · Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 0.50%

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

Analysis and videos

CVE-2026-24054: Kata Containers: improper handling of empty rootfs triggers host block device hotplug
CVE-2026-24054 affects Kata Containers versions prior to 3.26.0. When a container image is malformed or has no layers, containerd can bind-mount an empty snapshotter directory as the container rootfs, which the Kata runtime may treat as a block device and hotplug into the guest. The record describes possible host filesystem errors and a read-only host block device; NVD rates it critical (CVSS 3.1 score 10), and version 3.26.0 contains a patch.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · kata-containers/kata-containers
    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
  • Fix documented
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 10.0
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Analyzed
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Jan 29, 2026 · GitHub_M

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

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

References

5 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Katacontainers
every CVE for this vendor
Logic error
same class
CWE-754
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-64676 Kata Containers: Unauthorized mem-agent ttRPC methods let an untrusted host tamper with confidential-guest memory Aug 7, 2026
  • CVE-2026-47243 Kata guest escape: runtime-rs guest-root to host-root escape via virtiofs Aug 7, 2026
  • CVE-2026-50540 Kata Containers: Config Path Annotation Arbitrary File Loading Aug 7, 2026
  • CVE-2026-44210 Kata Containers have VM Escape via virtiofsd Argument Injection through Default-Enabled Pod Annotations Jul 23, 2026
  • CVE-2026-41326 Kata Containers: CopyFile Policy Subversion via Symlinks Apr 24, 2026
  • CVE-2026-24834 Kata Container to Guest micro VM privilege escalation Feb 19, 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 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-2026-24054 is "Kata Containers: improper handling of empty rootfs triggers host block device hotplug", rated Critical. It affects Kata Containers (Katacontainers); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 10.0 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.50% 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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