Kata Containers: Config Path Annotation Arbitrary File Loading
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. Prior to version 4.0.0, kata-runtime is vulnerable to host code execution via an unvalidated configuration path annotation. The runtime accepts an arbitrary io.katacontainers.config_path pod annotation and loads the referenced host TOML file without restriction. As a result, a pod user who can place a file at a host-visible path can supply a configuration that selects an attacker-controlled hypervisor or virtio-fs daemon binary, executing code as root on the host. This issue is fixed in version 4.0.0.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kata-containers | kata-containers | before 4.0.0 | 4.0.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- kata-containers Vendorkata-containers Affected before 4.0.0 Fixed in 4.0.0 Patch available CNA
CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1
Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:katacontainers:kata_containers:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | — | — | kata-containers |
- cpe:2.3:a:katacontainers:kata_containers:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·kata-containers
Remediation
- Fix · CNA kata-containers (kata-containers) Fixed in 4.0.0
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Confidential Compute Attestation | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-50540
References
More kata-containers vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-19382 Improper check for unusual conditions in kata-containers CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.8
- TI-2026-20033 Kata Container to Guest micro VM privilege escalation CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.4
- TI-2026-34827 Kata guest escape: runtime-rs guest-root to host-root escape via virtiofs CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.2
- TI-2026-29927 Kata Containers: CopyFile Policy Subversion via Symlinks CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.2
- TI-2026-32189 Kata Containers have VM Escape via virtiofsd Argument Injection through Default-Enabled Pod Annotations CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 5.8
- TI-2020-16502 An issue was discovered in Kata Containers through 1.11.3 and 2.x through 2.0-rc1. CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-50540 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-50540 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- CVE-2026-50540 · 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