runc through 1.0-rc6, as used in Docker before 18.09.2 and other products, allows…
Priority HIGH 82CWE-78Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 7 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-78.
Summary
runc through 1.0-rc6, as used in Docker before 18.09.2 and other products, allows attackers to overwrite the host runc binary (and consequently obtain host root access) by leveraging the ability to execute a command as root within one of these types of containers: (1) a new container with an attacker-controlled image, or (2) an existing container, to which the attacker previously had write access, that can be attached with docker exec. This occurs because of file-descriptor mishandling, related to /proc/self/exe.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.98452 99th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 8 exploit referencesTagged by NVD and the CNA
Fix Partial Red Hat: 5 advisoriesRed Hat: 7 fixed, 2 without a fix
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 38
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:docker:docker:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 18.09.2 | Vulnerable | Docker |
| cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | up to 0.1.1 | Vulnerable | backstage |
| cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.0.0 rc1 | Vulnerable | backstage |
| cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.0.0 rc2 | Vulnerable | backstage |
| cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.0.0 rc3 | Vulnerable | backstage |
| cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.0.0 rc4 | Vulnerable | backstage |
| cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.0.0 rc5 | Vulnerable | backstage |
| cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.0.0 rc6 | Vulnerable | backstage |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:container_development_kit:3.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.7 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift:3.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.4 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
- cpe:2.3:a:docker:docker:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 18.09.2 Vulnerable ·Docker
- cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions up to 0.1.1 Vulnerable ·backstage
- cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.0.0 rc1 Vulnerable ·backstage
- cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.0.0 rc2 Vulnerable ·backstage
- cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.0.0 rc3 Vulnerable ·backstage
- cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.0.0 rc4 Vulnerable ·backstage
- cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.0.0 rc5 Vulnerable ·backstage
- cpe:2.3:a:linuxfoundation:runc:1.0.0:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.0.0 rc6 Vulnerable ·backstage
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:container_development_kit:3.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.7 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift:3.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.4 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
Show 28 more CPE
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift:3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.5 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift:3.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.6 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift:3.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 3.7 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:google:kubernetes_engine:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | |
| cpe:2.3:a:linuxcontainers:lxc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 3.2.0 | Vulnerable | lxc |
| cpe:2.3:a:hp:onesphere:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | Hewlett Packard Enterprise |
| cpe:2.3:a:netapp:hci_management_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | NetApp |
| cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | NetApp |
| cpe:2.3:a:apache:mesos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.4.0 to before 1.4.3; 1.5.0 to before 1.5.3; 1.6.0 to before 1.6.2; 1.7.0 to before 1.7.2 | Vulnerable | Apache |
| cpe:2.3:a:opensuse:backports_sle:15.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:* | 15.0 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:a:opensuse:backports_sle:15.0:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 15.0 sp1 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 15.0 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 15.1 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:42.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 42.3 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:a:d2iq:kubernetes_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 2.2.0-1.13.3 | Vulnerable | D2iQ, Inc. |
| cpe:2.3:o:d2iq:dc\/os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 1.10.10; 1.10.11 to before 1.11.9; 1.11.10 to before 1.12.1 | Vulnerable | D2iQ, Inc. |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:29:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 29 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:30:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 30 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 16.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 18.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 18.10 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 19.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:service_management_automation:2018.02:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2018.02 | Vulnerable | Micro Focus International |
| cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:service_management_automation:2018.05:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2018.05 | Vulnerable | Micro Focus International |
| cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:service_management_automation:2018.08:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2018.08 | Vulnerable | Micro Focus International |
| cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:service_management_automation:2018.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2018.11 | Vulnerable | Micro Focus International |
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift:3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.5 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift:3.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.6 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift:3.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 3.7 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:google:kubernetes_engine:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·Google
- cpe:2.3:a:linuxcontainers:lxc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 3.2.0 Vulnerable ·lxc
- cpe:2.3:a:hp:onesphere:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- cpe:2.3:a:netapp:hci_management_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·NetApp
- cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·NetApp
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:mesos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.4.0 to before 1.4.3; 1.5.0 to before 1.5.3; 1.6.0 to before 1.6.2; 1.7.0 to before 1.7.2 Vulnerable ·Apache
- cpe:2.3:a:opensuse:backports_sle:15.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 15.0 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:a:opensuse:backports_sle:15.0:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 15.0 sp1 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 15.0 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 15.1 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:42.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 42.3 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:a:d2iq:kubernetes_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 2.2.0-1.13.3 Vulnerable ·D2iQ, Inc.
- cpe:2.3:o:d2iq:dc\/os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 1.10.10; 1.10.11 to before 1.11.9; 1.11.10 to before 1.12.1 Vulnerable ·D2iQ, Inc.
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:29:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 29 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:30:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 30 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 16.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 18.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 18.10 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 19.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:service_management_automation:2018.02:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2018.02 Vulnerable ·Micro Focus International
- cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:service_management_automation:2018.05:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2018.05 Vulnerable ·Micro Focus International
- cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:service_management_automation:2018.08:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2018.08 Vulnerable ·Micro Focus International
- cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:service_management_automation:2018.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2018.11 Vulnerable ·Micro Focus International
Remediation
Red Hat 5 advisories
- RHSA-2019:0975 Released 2019-05-07 · Red Hat rating Importantcontainer-tools:rhel8 security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) buildah-1.5-3.gite94b4f9.module+el8.0.0+2958+4e823551.aarch64::container-tools:rhel8, buildah-1.5-3.gite94b4f9.module+el8.0.0+2958+4e823551.ppc64le::container-tools:rhel8, buildah-1.5-3.gite94b4f9.module+el8.0.0+2958+4e823551.s390x::container-tools:rhel8 +47
- RHSA-2019:0408 Released 2019-02-26 · Red Hat rating ImportantOpenShift Container Platform 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7 security update
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.4 docker-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7, docker-client-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7, docker-common-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7 +6
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.5 docker-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7, docker-client-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7, docker-common-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7 +6
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.6 docker-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7, docker-client-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7, docker-common-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7 +6
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.7 docker-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7, docker-client-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7, docker-common-2:1.12.6-79.git5680db5.el7 +6
- RHSA-2019:0401 Released 2019-02-25 · Red Hat rating ImportantContainer Development Kit 3.7.0-1 security update
- Other
Show 2 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2019:0304 Released 2019-02-11 · Red Hat rating Importantdocker security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extras docker-2:1.13.1-91.git07f3374.el7, docker-client-2:1.13.1-91.git07f3374.el7, docker-common-2:1.13.1-91.git07f3374.el7 +5
- RHSA-2019:0303 Released 2019-02-11 · Red Hat rating Importantrunc security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extras runc-1.0.0-59.dev.git2abd837.el7
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.9 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Other | Fixed | RHSA-2019:0401 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extras | Fixed | RHSA-2019:0303, RHSA-2019:0304 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2019:0975 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.4 | Fixed | RHSA-2019:0408 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.5 | Fixed | RHSA-2019:0408 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.6 | Fixed | RHSA-2019:0408 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.7 | Fixed | RHSA-2019:0408 |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Atomic Host 7
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2019-5736
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-gxmr-w5mj-v8hh
References
Exploit 8
- https://github.com/q3k/cve-2019-5736-poc
- 46359
- 46369
- https://github.com/Frichetten/CVE-2019-5736-PoC
- https://brauner.github.io/2019/02/12/privileged-containers.html
- https://blog.dragonsector.pl/2019/02/cve-2019-5736-escape-from-docker-and.html
- https://support.mesosphere.com/s/article/Known-Issue-Container-Runtime-Vulnerability-MSPH-2019-0003
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163339/Docker-Container-Escape.html
Patch 6
- https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/commit/6635b4f0c6af3810594d2770f662f34ddc15b40d
- https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/commit/0a8e4117e7f715d5fbeef398405813ce8e88558b
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/02/11/2
- https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1121967
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/cve-2019-5736-and-runc-vulnerability/
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/updates/iot-edge-fix-cve-2019-5736/
Advisory 40
- RHSA-2019:0408
- https://github.com/rancher/runc-cve
- RHSA-2019:0401
- https://github.com/docker/docker-ce/releases/tag/v18.09.2
- https://www.synology.com/security/advisory/Synology_SA_19_06
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0008/
- RHSA-2019:0303
- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-20190215-runc
- https://aws.amazon.com/security/security-bulletins/AWS-2019-002/
- https://kubernetes.io/blog/2019/02/11/runc-and-cve-2019-5736/
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2019-5736
- RHSA-2019:0304
- https://www.twistlock.com/2019/02/11/how-to-mitigate-cve-2019-5736-in-runc-and-docker/
- https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/security-bulletins#february-11-2019-runc
- https://access.redhat.com/security/vulnerabilities/runcescape
- [oss-security] 20190323 CVE-2019-0204: Some Mesos components can be overwritten making arbitrary code execution possible.
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1079
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1227
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1275
- FEDORA-2019-bc70b381ad
- FEDORA-2019-6174b47003
- https://softwaresupport.softwaregrp.com/document/-/facetsearch/document/KM03410944
- RHSA-2019:0975
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1444
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1481
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1499
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1506
- [oss-security] 20190628 Re: linux-distros membership application - Microsoft
- [oss-security] 20190706 Re: linux-distros membership application - Microsoft
- [oss-security] 20190706 Re: linux-distros membership application - Microsoft
- USN-4048-1
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2021
- FEDORA-2019-2baa1f7b19
- FEDORA-2019-c1dac1b3b8
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2245
- openSUSE-SU-2019:2286
- [oss-security] 20191023 Membership application for linux-distros - VMware
- [oss-security] 20191029 Re: Membership application for linux-distros - VMware
- GLSA-202003-21
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/165197/Docker-runc-Command-Execution-Proof-Of-Concept.html
Other 11
- https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-hpesbhf03913en_us
- [mesos-dev] 20190323 CVE-2019-0204: Some Mesos components can be overwritten making arbitrary code execution possible.
- [mesos-user] 20190323 CVE-2019-0204: Some Mesos components can be overwritten making arbitrary code execution possible.
- [dlab-dev] 20190524 [jira] [Created] (DLAB-723) Runc vulnerability CVE-2019-5736
- [dlab-dev] 20190524 [jira] [Updated] (DLAB-723) Runc vulnerability CVE-2019-5736
- [dlab-dev] 20190923 [jira] [Assigned] (DLAB-723) Runc vulnerability CVE-2019-5736
- [dlab-dev] 20200525 [jira] [Deleted] (DLAB-723) Runc vulnerability CVE-2019-5736
- [geode-issues] 20200831 [jira] [Created] (GEODE-8471) Dependency security issues in geode-core-1.12
- [oss-security] 20240201 runc: CVE-2024-21626: high severity container breakout attack
- [oss-security] 20240201 Re: runc: CVE-2024-21626: high severity container breakout attack
- [oss-security] 20240202 Re: Re: runc: CVE-2024-21626: high severity container breakout attack
Sources
- CVE-2019-5736 · CVE Program
- CVE-2019-5736 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-gxmr-w5mj-v8hh · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2019-5736 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences