runc: Malicious image with /dev symlink can trigger limited host filesystem integrity violations
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat.
Summary
runc is a CLI tool for spawning and running containers according to the OCI specification. In versions prior to 1.3.6, 1.4.0-rc.1, 1.4.0-rc.12, 1.5.0-rc.1, and 1.5.0-rc.1, when setting up the container rootfs, setupPtmx and setupDevSymlinks call os.Remove and os.Symlink with a filepath.Join string which allow an image with /dev as a symlink to trick runc into deleting files called ptmx on the host or creating a hardcoded set of symlinks with specific names and targets in an arbitrary pre-existing host directory. This issue is not exploitable under Docker, because Docker creates a top-level read-only layer that masks any malicious /dev symlink present in the container image — unlike some other Linux container tooling, whose higher-level runtimes built on runc remain exposed to exploitation via a malicious image. This issue has been fixed in versions 1.3.6, 1.4.3 and 1.5.0.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| backstage | runc | before 1.3.6; 1.4.0-rc.1 to before 1.4.3; 1.5.0-rc.1 to before 1.5.0-rc.3 | 1.3.6, 1.4.3, 1.5.0-rc.3 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) | before 1.3.6 | 1.3.6 | Patch available | GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47 |
| — | github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) | 1.4.0 to before 1.4.3 | 1.4.3 | Patch available | GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47 |
| — | github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) | 1.5.0-rc.1 to before 1.5.0-rc.3 | 1.5.0-rc.3 | Patch available | GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47 |
- runc Vendorbackstage Affected before 1.3.6; 1.4.0-rc.1 to before 1.4.3; 1.5.0-rc.1 to before 1.5.0-rc.3 Fixed in 1.3.6, 1.4.3, 1.5.0-rc.3 Patch available CNA
- github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) Vendor— Affected before 1.3.6 Fixed in 1.3.6 Patch available GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47
- github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) Vendor— Affected 1.4.0 to before 1.4.3 Fixed in 1.4.3 Patch available GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47
- github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) Vendor— Affected 1.5.0-rc.1 to before 1.5.0-rc.3 Fixed in 1.5.0-rc.3 Patch available GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47
CPE configurations NVD · 3
Remediation
- Fix · CNA runc (opencontainers) Fixed in 1.3.6, 1.4.3, 1.5.0-rc.3
- Fix · GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47 github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) Fixed in 1.3.6 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47 github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) Fixed in 1.4.3 Advisory →
- Fix · GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47 github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go) Fixed in 1.5.0-rc.3 Advisory →
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Hardened Images
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-41579
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More backstage Runc vulnerabilities
- TI-2019-04061 runc through 1.0-rc6, as used in Docker before 18.09.2 and other products, allows… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.6
- TI-2024-14351 runc container breakout through process.cwd trickery and leaked fds CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.6
- TI-2021-10869 runc before 1.0.0-rc95 allows a Container Filesystem Breakout via Directory Traversal. CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.5
- TI-2019-12591 runc through 1.0.0-rc8, as used in Docker through 19.03.2-ce and other products, allows… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2025-32660 container escape due to /dev/console mount and related races CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.4
- TI-2025-22394 runc container escape via "masked path" abuse due to mount race conditions CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.3
Sources
- CVE-2026-41579 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-41579 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-xjvp-4fhw-gc47 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-41579 · 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