Critical Input validation

CVE-2026-53492 — containerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling

containerd is an open-source container runtime. In Versions prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9, the CRI implementation improperly trusts Container Device Interface (CDI) annotations found within untrusted checkpoint image metadata during container restoration. When restoring a container from a checkpoint, containerd preserves CDI-related annotations from the checkpoint archive rather than relying solely on the pod's create-time specification. This allows a user with pod creation permissions to bypass standard Kubernetes resource allocation and device plugin enforcement, injecting arbitrary CDI edits (such as device nodes and host mounts) into the restored container. Successful exploitation requires that the node has CDI enabled and contains a matching host CDI specification for the requested device; environments where CDI is disabled or lacking sensitive device specifications are not affected. This issue has been fixed in versions 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9.

Published Jul 1, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: GitHub_M

Low

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 0.4% (30-day exploitation probability)+4
Technical severity (critical)+10

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

0.35%

ahead of 27% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026

Affects

Containerd

CVSS base

9.6

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

None

none · proof-of-concept · active

Automatable

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 mitigation — 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.

Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Containerd Containerd, Linuxfoundation Containerd).
Apply the documented mitigations until a definitive fix is available.
Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (input validation), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
Containerd	Containerd	version >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.9version >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.5version >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.2	Vulnerable	CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Linuxfoundation	Containerd	≥ 2.1.0 and < 2.1.9≥ 2.2.0 and < 2.2.5≥ 2.3.0 and < 2.3.2	Vulnerable	NIST National Vulnerability Database

Attack characteristics

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

Attack vector

Network

Attack complexity

Low

Privileges required

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

None

Every base score collected

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

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Scored by
8.4	CVSS 4.0	High	—	—	security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.4	CVSS 4.0	High	—	—	GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
9.6	CVSS 3.1	Critical	3.1	5.8	nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-20 · Improper Input Validation

Other CVEs with this weakness →

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 · containerd/containerd
Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
SSVC assessment updated
Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Record published
Oct 15, 2026
Fix documented
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVSS changed · 9.6
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Source status changed · → Analyzed
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
Record created in this database
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
CVE published
Jul 1, 2026 · GitHub_M

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

1 on the record

github.com/containerd/containerd/security/advisories/GHSA-33vj-92qq-66hc
Mitigation, Vendor Advisory, x_refsource_CONFIRM, NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Containerd
every CVE for this vendor

Input validation
same class

CWE-20
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

High CVE-2026-95837 containerd CRI plugin: Checkpoint restore bypasses destination security context 3d
Medium CVE-2026-95838 containerd: Unpack DoS via repeated opaque whiteouts 3d
Medium CVE-2026-53493 Containerd has image-pull DoS via crafted OCI index graph amplification 21d
Medium CVE-2026-53495 containerd CRI ExecSync Goroutine Leak Leading to Node-Level Denial of Service Sep 14, 2026
Medium CVE-2026-53489 containerd: Arbitrary host CRI log file read via symlink following in CRI checkpoint restore Jul 1, 2026
Critical CVE-2026-50195 containerd: CRI checkpoint import allows local image tag poisoning Jul 1, 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-2026-53492 is "containerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling", rated Critical. It affects Containerd (Containerd); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 9.6 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.35% 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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