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CRI-O EUVDEUVD-2026-93915

| CVE-2026-76061 MEDIUM
Improper Link Resolution Before File Access (CWE-59)
2026-10-06 secalert@redhat.com
5.5
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: redhat
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain rights to create hostPath container mounts
  2. Delivery
    Plant intermediate absolute symlink in path
  3. Exploit
    Request hostPath resolving outside prefixed root
  4. Execution
    CRI-O bind-mounts sensitive host path into container
  5. Impact
    Access host files / escalate privileges

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Symlink resolution safety
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires CRI-O to be explicitly configured with a non-empty bind_mount_prefix (the default is empty and is NOT affected), plus the attacker's ability to create a container specifying a CRI hostPath mount whose path contains an intermediate absolute symlink. Limiting factors: the non-default bind_mount_prefix setting, the need for privileges to define hostPath mounts (PR:H), high attack complexity in arranging the symlink so the source resolves outside the prefixed root (AC:H), and no required user interaction. Default-configured CRI-O deployments are not exposed.

Impact

This is a moderate, conditional risk rather than an urgent priority. The NVD CVSS of 5.5 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L) reflects high attack complexity and a high-privilege prerequisite, and there is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit - only upstream fix commits are available (these are patches, not proof-of-concept exploit code). A notable conflict: the vector encodes AV:N (network), yet the description explicitly states the actor is 'a malicious container or local attacker' who must plant an intermediate absolute symlink and control a CRI hostPath - this is operationally a local/container-boundary attack, so AV:N appears overstated and should be verified with Red Hat. The scope change (S:C) and CWE-59 symlink resolution correctly capture the container-to-host trust-boundary crossing. Critically, the flaw only manifests when CRI-O is configured with a non-empty bind_mount_prefix, which is not the default, substantially narrowing the real-world exposed population. Net: a legitimate container-escape/privilege-escalation vector worth patching on affected OpenShift/Kubernetes nodes, but gated by non-default configuration, high privileges, and high complexity - not a mass-exploitation candidate.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

On a node where CRI-O is configured with a non-empty bind_mount_prefix, an attacker who can create containers with CRI hostPath mounts supplies a hostPath whose intermediate path component is an absolute symlink. During bind-mount source resolution the symlink dereferences outside the intended prefixed root, so the container receives a bind mount of a sensitive host path, enabling unauthorized file access or privilege escalation on the host. No weaponized public exploit exists; only the upstream fix commits are available, and successful exploitation requires winning the symlink-resolution condition (AC:H).

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 06, 2026

CRI-O instances explicitly configured with a non-empty bind_mount_prefix can be induced to resolve a container's CRI hostPath bind-mount source outside the intended prefixed root, giving an attacker with the ability to define such mounts read and write access to host files and a route to privilege escalation. The flaw is conditional rather than broadly exploitable: it requires the non-default bind_mount_prefix setting, high privileges to specify hostPath mounts (PR:H), and a carefully arranged intermediate absolute symlink in the requested path (AC:H), and default-configured CRI-O deployments are not exposed. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis and the CVE is not listed in CISA KEV, so this is a moderate, conditional risk rather than an urgent priority.

RemediationAI

Upstream fix available (PR/commit); released patched version not independently confirmed - the corrections are the commits https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/commit/01f90366dc8c8db0df32b4aae7fd067c1eddbb70 (scoped symlink resolution and reject-list matching), https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/commit/6d08a9a60ecfabdb3cbea0c8d698e31f1f01cb40, and https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/commit/d6f58973acfcae93ecc039e0297fbe5f2548b46b, so upgrade to the CRI-O build that carries them and confirm the version against the vendor advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-76061 and https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2520330. If an immediate upgrade is not possible, the strongest mitigation is to leave bind_mount_prefix empty or unset, which restores the unaffected default behavior at the cost of losing whatever path-relocation isolation prompted its use; if the non-empty prefix must stay, audit the prefixed tree for intermediate symlinks that point outside the prefix (especially absolute links such as <prefix>/etc) and remove them, noting that new symlinks can be reintroduced by any process with write access to that tree and that this is a fragile control requiring continuous checks; additionally restrict the ability to create containers with hostPath mounts to fully trusted administrative users only, accepting that this reduces multi-tenant flexibility, and monitor container-creation errors for the reject-path rejections that the patched code emits when a hostPath resolves to sensitive targets such as /etc/hostname.

Affected ProductsAI

CRI-O container runtimes where the operator has set a non-empty bind_mount_prefix; the default empty value is not affected, so stock Kubernetes/OpenShift CRI-O deployments are out of scope. The provided data does not enumerate a version range or CPE identifiers, so all releases containing the affected server/container_create.go, server/container_create_linux.go, and server/container_create_freebsd.go logic should be treated as susceptible until confirmed to include the upstream fixes; both the Linux and FreeBSD container-creation paths share the flawed resolution helper. Track the exact affected and fixed builds through the Red Hat security advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-76061 and the associated Bugzilla record at https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2520330.

Affects your stack

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Technical ContextAI · show details

CRI-O is a Kubernetes container runtime that implements the Container Runtime Interface (CRI); when a workload requests a hostPath volume, the runtime maps it to an OCI bind mount, and the optional bind_mount_prefix configuration relocates those host paths under a controlled directory tree. The root cause is CWE-59 (improper link resolution before file access): the pre-fix resolveSymbolicLink helper in server/container_create.go only resolved a symlink in the final path component, returning the original path unchanged when the last element was not a link, and joined bind_mount_prefix onto the requested path before that check. The Linux kernel, however, resolves intermediate symlinks itself during the actual mount, so a hostPath such as <prefix>/etc/hostname where <prefix>/etc is an absolute symlink pointing elsewhere resolved to a target outside the prefixed root, and the reject-list comparison in server/container_create_linux.go and container_create_freebsd.go could also be bypassed because only one spelling of the path was matched. The upstream fix rewrites resolveSymbolicLink to take a scope argument and run securejoin.SecureJoin(scope, path) for any non-empty, non-root scope, confining resolution inside the prefix, while preserving legacy behavior (final-symlink-only resolution, including /proc magic links) for an empty or root scope; it also compares both the original prefixed path and the resolved path against the reject list, so entries such as /etc/hostname remain blocked through intermediate symlinks and parent-traversal spellings. Note that NVD published a 5.5 vector (AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L) while the independent assessment rates the issue AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L under the exploitation prerequisites above; the higher confidentiality and integrity ratings reflect that an escaped bind mount gives host file read/write rather than incidental access.

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Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
vuln.today AI 7.4 HIGH

Config-dependent, local/container actor (AV:L), requires privilege to define hostPath mounts (PR:H) and a tricky symlink race (AC:H); escape crosses to host (S:C) enabling high confidentiality/integrity impact.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N
SUSE MEDIUM
Red Hat 5.5 MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
Low

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw was found in CRI-O's bind_mount_prefix handling. When configured with a non-empty bind_mount_prefix, a malicious container or local attacker could use a Container Runtime Interface (CRI) hostPath containing an intermediate absolute symlink. This could cause the bind mount source to resolve outside the intended prefixed root, potentially leading to unauthorized access to files or privilege escalation on the host system.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.2%
Top 87% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
common Kubernetes/OpenShift container runtime, but not the most ubiquitous CRI
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment Vendor GitHub

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.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

28
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +28
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate

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