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TI-2026-32756 Aliases CVE-2026-44881GHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr

Portainer: Arbitrary File Read via Git Symlink Injection in Stack Auto-Update

Priority LOW 37CWE-200Published · Updated

Key facts

Attack vector
Network
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low
Attack requirements
None
Impact type
Information disclosure
Confidentiality · integrity · availability
High · None · None
Fix status
Fixed

Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and GitHub. Impact type from CWE-200.

Summary

Portainer Community Edition is a lightweight service delivery platform for containerized applications that can be used to manage Docker, Swarm, Kubernetes and ACI environments. From 2.33.0 to before 2.33.8, 2.39.2, and 2.41.0, Portainer supports deploying stacks from Git repositories. When a Git-backed stack is created or updated, Portainer clones the repository using go-git v5, which translates Git blob entries with mode 0o120000 (symlink) into real OS symlinks on the host filesystem via os.Symlink. The only entry blocked from becoming a symlink is .gitmodules; every other path is created as a symlink without validation. Portainer's GET /api/stacks/{id}/file endpoint then reads the stack entry point with os.ReadFile, which follows OS symlinks transparently. A repository containing docker-compose.yml as a symlink to an arbitrary filesystem path causes the symlink target's contents to be returned verbatim in the HTTP response. Any authenticated user with rights to create or update a Git-backed stack — the default configuration in Portainer CE — can read arbitrary files accessible to the Portainer process. This vulnerability is fixed in 2.33.8, 2.39.2, and 2.41.0.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV
EPSS 0.0051 43rd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by NVD
Fix Fixed portainer (portainer): 2.33.8, 2.39.2, 2.41.0github.com/portainer/portainer (Go): 2.33.8, 2.39.2, 2.41.0

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

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed inStatusSource
portainerportainer2.33.0 to before 2.33.8; 2.39.0 to before 2.39.2; 2.40.0 to before 2.41.02.33.8, 2.39.2, 2.41.0Patch availableCNA
—github.com/portainer/portainer (Go)2.33.0 to before 2.33.82.33.8Patch availableGHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr
—github.com/portainer/portainer (Go)2.39.0 to before 2.39.22.39.2Patch availableGHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr
—github.com/portainer/portainer (Go)2.40.0 to before 2.41.02.41.0Patch availableGHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr
  • portainer Vendorportainer Affected 2.33.0 to before 2.33.8; 2.39.0 to before 2.39.2; 2.40.0 to before 2.41.0 Fixed in 2.33.8, 2.39.2, 2.41.0 Patch available CNA
  • github.com/portainer/portainer (Go) Vendor— Affected 2.33.0 to before 2.33.8 Fixed in 2.33.8 Patch available GHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr
  • github.com/portainer/portainer (Go) Vendor— Affected 2.39.0 to before 2.39.2 Fixed in 2.39.2 Patch available GHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr
  • github.com/portainer/portainer (Go) Vendor— Affected 2.40.0 to before 2.41.0 Fixed in 2.41.0 Patch available GHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr

CPE configurations NVD · 2

CPEVersionsRoleVendor
cpe:2.3:a:portainer:portainer:*:*:*:*:community:*:*:*2.33.0 to before 2.33.8; 2.34.0 to before 2.39.2Vulnerableportainer
cpe:2.3:a:portainer:portainer:2.40.0:*:*:*:community:*:*:*2.40.0Vulnerableportainer
  • cpe:2.3:a:portainer:portainer:*:*:*:*:community:*:*:* Versions 2.33.0 to before 2.33.8; 2.34.0 to before 2.39.2 Vulnerable ·portainer
  • cpe:2.3:a:portainer:portainer:2.40.0:*:*:*:community:*:*:* Versions 2.40.0 Vulnerable ·portainer

Remediation

  • Fix · CNA portainer (portainer) Fixed in 2.33.8, 2.39.2, 2.41.0
  • Fix · GHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr github.com/portainer/portainer (Go) Fixed in 2.33.8 Advisory →
  • Fix · GHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr github.com/portainer/portainer (Go) Fixed in 2.39.2 Advisory →
  • Fix · GHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr github.com/portainer/portainer (Go) Fixed in 2.41.0 Advisory →

Timeline

  1. 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-44881
  2. 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-rpgq-m5fp-32wr

References

  • TI-2026-32726 Portainer: Missing authorization on Docker plugin endpoints allows host RCE CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
  • TI-2026-32758 Portainer: JWT accepted in URL query leaks tokens to logs and referers CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.7
  • TI-2026-32727 Portainer: Endpoint security bypass via Swarm service create/update CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.4
  • TI-2020-14859 Portainer 1.24.1 and earlier is affected by incorrect access control that may lead to… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
  • TI-2024-22245 Portainer before 2.20.0 allows redirects when the target is not index.yaml. CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.1
  • TI-2018-13786 A vulnerability was found in Portainer before 1.20.0. CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
See all 25 →

Sources