EUVD-2026-83865
GHSA-53fm-c92p-fxxw
Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessObtain privileges to trigger restore
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DeliverySupply malicious checkpoint archive
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ExploitRestore parses tampered metadata
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ExecutionPath traversal writes outside container
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ImpactHost filesystem compromised (container escape)
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires that CRI-O's container checkpoint and restore (C/R) feature is explicitly enabled - this is NOT the default configuration. The attacker must additionally hold sufficient privileges to trigger restoration of a container (PR:H) and must be able to supply or influence untrusted checkpoint archive content whose restore metadata is parsed by CRI-O. Limiting factors: non-default feature gate, required elevated/restore privileges, and dependence on the ability to inject a malicious checkpoint archive into the restore path - together these substantially narrow the exploitable population beyond the raw 8.0 score. |
| Impact | The vendor CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.0 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H), driven high by full C/I/A impact and a scope change from container to host. However, two metrics substantially temper real-world risk: PR:H (attacker must already hold sufficient privileges to trigger a container restore) and AC:H (exploitation depends on the non-default checkpoint/restore feature being enabled and the attacker being able to feed untrusted checkpoint content). No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit code were provided in the intelligence - so this is 'no public exploit identified at time of analysis.' The AV:N assignment is debatable: checkpoint archives are frequently pulled from a registry/network source, which supports AV:N, but if restoration is a purely local/administrative operation the vector could be closer to AV:L - verify the delivery path with Red Hat. Net assessment: a genuine host-escape/path-traversal flaw with serious technical impact, but its exploitability is heavily gated by non-default configuration and required privileges, so it is a high-severity-but-conditional issue rather than a broadly wormable priority. Prioritize only for clusters that have explicitly enabled container checkpoint/restore. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An operator or workload with restore privileges in an OpenShift/CRI-O cluster that has enabled container checkpoint/restore triggers restoration of a container from an attacker-supplied checkpoint archive. Crafted restore metadata containing path-traversal sequences causes CRI-O to write to or manipulate host filesystem paths outside the intended container scope, breaking container isolation (S:C) and potentially compromising the node. No public proof-of-concept was identified in the provided data. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 21, 2026
A path traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in CRI-O's container checkpoint/restore feature allows a highly privileged, remote attacker to perform unintended operations on the host filesystem by supplying a malicious checkpoint archive during container restoration. Exploitation requires the non-default checkpoint/restore functionality to be enabled and the attacker to have high privileges (PR:H) to trigger restoration of untrusted content, resulting in a scope change from container to host with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact (CVSS 8.0). No public exploit identified at time of analysis. Affected products include Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 as per CPE data.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released patch information was provided in the available intelligence; consult the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-15801 for the latest patch status. Primary mitigation: ensure the container checkpoint/restore feature remains disabled (it is not enabled by default); verify CRI-O configuration and Kubernetes/OpenShift settings so that restore operations are not permitted. If C/R is required, strictly limit who can trigger container restoration (e.g., via RBAC, restricted service accounts, and least privilege) and never restore from checkpoint archives that are not fully trusted and integrity-verified. Consider enabling audit logging for restore operations and monitoring for unexpected host filesystem writes. Trade-offs: disabling C/R prevents legitimate migration/snapshot use cases; restricting privileges may break existing automation that relies on checkpoint/restore. There is no public exploit identified at time of analysis, but apply mitigations according to risk tolerance.
Affects your stack
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Technical ContextAI · show details
CRI-O is a lightweight container runtime for Kubernetes and OpenShift that implements the Container Runtime Interface (CRI). Its checkpoint/restore (C/R) feature, built on CRIU, allows saving a running container's state to an archive and later restoring it, including metadata such as file paths and mount points. CWE-22 (Path Traversal) arises because CRI-O insufficiently validates restore metadata, allowing crafted archive entries to reference paths outside the intended container filesystem-e.g., via '../' sequences-leading to arbitrary host file writes or other unintended operations. The scope change (S:C) indicates the attacker's actions within a container context can impact the host. The CPE identifies Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 as an affected product, where CRI-O is the default runtime for OpenShift 4.x; the non-default nature of the C/R feature reduces the exposed attack surface.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
AC:H and PR:H reflect the non-default checkpoint/restore feature plus privileged restore trigger; S:C and full C/I/A:H capture container-to-host escape via path traversal; AV:N retained since checkpoints are often network-sourced.
Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).
CVSS VectorVendor: redhat
DescriptionCVE.org
A vulnerability was found in CRI-O related to the container checkpoint and restore feature. When CRI-O is configured to restore containers from checkpoint archives, insufficient validation of restore metadata may allow a user with sufficient privileges to perform unintended operations on the host filesystem. Successful exploitation requires that container checkpoint and restore functionality is enabled, which is not the default configuration. An attacker must also be able to trigger restoration of a container from untrusted checkpoint content.
Executive ViewAI
A high-severity path traversal flaw in CRI-O's checkpoint/restore capability affects Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and could allow a highly privileged actor to manipulate files on the underlying host rather than staying confined to a container boundary, exposing confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the host. Because no vendor patch is currently available, leadership should treat this as an exposure-management issue for environments where the non-default checkpoint/restore feature has been enabled, and prioritize confirming whether that capability is active in production clusters while limiting who holds the privileges required to trigger a restore.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: disable the non-default checkpoint/restore functionality where it is not operationally required; enforce least privilege via RBAC so only a minimal set of trusted administrators can initiate checkpoint or restore operations (exploitation requires high privileges); avoid restoring checkpoint archives from untrusted or unverified sources; restrict network and API access to container runtime management interfaces; and monitor for suspicious restore activity or unexpected host filesystem writes pending a vendor fix.
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org
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