PowerShell Command Injection in Podman HyperV Machine
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-78.
Summary
Podman is a tool for managing OCI containers and pods. Versions 4.8.0 through 5.8.1 contain a command injection vulnerability in the HyperV machine backend in pkg/machine/hyperv/stubber.go, where the VM image path is inserted into a PowerShell double-quoted string without sanitization, allowing $() subexpression injection. Because PowerShell evaluates subexpressions inside double-quoted strings before executing the outer command, an attacker who can control the VM image path through a crafted machine name or image directory can execute arbitrary PowerShell commands with the privileges of the Podman process. On typical Windows installations this means SYSTEM-level code execution, and only Windows is affected as the code is exclusive to the HyperV backend. This issue has been patched in version 5.8.2.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| containers | podman | 4.8.0 to before 5.8.2 | 5.8.2 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | github.com/containers/podman/v4 (Go) | 4.8.0 – 4.9.5 | — | No fix listed | GHSA-hc8w-h2mf-hp59 |
| — | github.com/containers/podman/v5 (Go) | before 5.8.2 | 5.8.2 | Patch available | GHSA-hc8w-h2mf-hp59 |
- podman Vendorcontainers Affected 4.8.0 to before 5.8.2 Fixed in 5.8.2 Patch available CNA
- github.com/containers/podman/v4 (Go) Vendor— Affected 4.8.0 – 4.9.5 Fixed in — No fix listed GHSA-hc8w-h2mf-hp59
- github.com/containers/podman/v5 (Go) Vendor— Affected before 5.8.2 Fixed in 5.8.2 Patch available GHSA-hc8w-h2mf-hp59
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:podman_project:podman:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.8.0 to before 5.8.2 | Vulnerable | Podman Project |
| cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Running on | Microsoft |
- cpe:2.3:a:podman_project:podman:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.8.0 to before 5.8.2 Vulnerable ·Podman Project
- cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Running on ·Microsoft
Remediation
- Fix · CNA podman (containers) Fixed in 5.8.2
- Fix · GHSA-hc8w-h2mf-hp59 github.com/containers/podman/v5 (Go) Fixed in 5.8.2 Advisory →
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2026:8211 Released 2026-04-14 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update
- Red Hat Hardened Images podman-5.8.2-1.hum1@aarch64, podman-5.8.2-1.hum1@src, podman-5.8.2-1.hum1@x86_64 +10
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images | Fixed | RHSA-2026:8211 |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-33414
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-hc8w-h2mf-hp59
- 2026-10-25 EPSS moved to the below the 50th percentile
References
More containers vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-18645 .krun_config.json symlink attack creates or overwrites file on the host in crun CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.5
- TI-2026-23721 Crun incorrectly parses `crun exec` option `-u`, leading to privilege escalation CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2026-37901 fuse-overlayfs release-1.x preserves SUID/SGID bits after truncate/open(O_TRUNC) CVSS 4.0LOW 2.0
- TI-2026-29788 bubblewrap vulnerable to privilege escalation in setuid mode via ptrace CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2024-07805 Containers/aardvark-dns: tcp query handling flaw in aardvark-dns leading to denial of service CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2024-08665 Podman: buildah: cri-o: fips crypto-policy directory mounting issue in containers/common go library CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.2
Sources
- CVE-2026-33414 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-33414 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-hc8w-h2mf-hp59 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-33414 · 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