High Access control

CVE-2026-6406 — Docker Desktop Enhanced Container Isolation bypass via --use-api-socket CLI flag

The Docker CLI --use-api-socket flag bypasses Enhanced Container Isolation (ECI) restrictions in Docker Desktop. When ECI is enabled, Docker socket mounts from containers are denied unless explicitly allowed via the admin-settings configuration. However, the --use-api-socket flag adds the Docker socket mount via the HostConfig.Mounts field rather than the HostConfig.Binds field. The ECI enforcement in the Docker Desktop API proxy only inspected Binds, allowing the mount to pass unchecked. This grants a container full access to the Docker Engine socket and, if the host user has logged in to container registries, their authentication credentials. A local attacker with the ability to run Docker CLI commands can exploit this to escape ECI restrictions, access the Docker Engine, and potentially escalate privileges.

Published May 22, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: Docker

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 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+1
Technical severity (high)+6

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

0.2%

ahead of 9% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026

Affects

Docker

Desktop

CVSS base

8.8

High · 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

can an attacker script the kill-chain steps

Technical impact

Total

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.

Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Docker Desktop).
No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status	Source
Docker	Desktop	≥ 4.41.0 and < 4.59.0	Vulnerable	NIST National Vulnerability Database
Docker	Desktop	≥ 4.41.0 and < 4.59.0	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

Local

Attack complexity

Low

Privileges required

Low

User interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

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
8.8	CVSS 4.0	High	—	—	security@docker.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.8	CVSS 4.0	High	—	—	Docker via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
8.8	CVSS 3.1	High	2.0	6.0	security@docker.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
8.8	CVSS 3.1	High	—	—	Docker via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

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

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 0.20%

Detection

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

Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.

endpoint telemetry (EDR)authentication logsapplication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

2026
Affected products added · docker/docker desktop
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 · 8.8
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
May 22, 2026 · Docker

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

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

References

2 on the record

www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-26-299/
Third Party Advisory, third-party-advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database
docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/
Release Notes, release-notes, NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Docker
every CVE for this vendor

Access control
same class

CWE-863
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

High CVE-2026-106581 Docker Desktop for Windows installer failed to verify external packages 6d
High CVE-2026-17106 Tar extraction in moby/go-archive can write outside the destination directory via link following Aug 18, 2026
High CVE-2026-8936 Unbounded recursion in grpcfuse kernel module allows container to crash Docker Desktop VM Jun 2, 2026
High CVE-2026-5817 Docker Model Runner container-to-host code execution via unsandboxed trust_remote_code in Python inference backends May 22, 2026
High CVE-2026-5843 Docker Model Runner container-to-host code execution via MLX-LM model_file importlib loading May 22, 2026
High CVE-2026-2664 Out of bounds read vulnerability in grpcfuse kernel module Feb 24, 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-2026-6406 is "Docker Desktop Enhanced Container Isolation bypass via --use-api-socket CLI flag", rated High. It affects Desktop (Docker); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.20% 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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