CVE-2026-53492: Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 Containerd CRI Checkpoint Restore CDI Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-33vj-92qq-66hc
CWE-20 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-53492 is a HIGH containerd cri checkpoint restore cdi vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves containerd cri checkpoint restore cdi annotation smuggling. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2.

CVE-2026-53492 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-53492
GHSA Identifier GHSA-33vj-92qq-66hc
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-53492

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed: 2.1.9
Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 to 2.1.9
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed: 2.2.5
Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 to 2.2.5
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed: 2.3.2
Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 to 2.3.2
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

inspect dependencies for github.com/containerd/containerd/v2

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2026-53492, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2:

inspect dependencies for github.com/containerd/containerd/v2

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.1.9), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

### Impact containerd's CRI implementation improperly trusts Container Device Interface (CDI) annotations found within untrusted checkpoint image metadata during container restoration. When restoring a container from a checkpoint, containerd preserves CDI-related annotations from the checkpoint archive rather than relying solely on the pod's create-time specification. This allows a user with pod creation permissions to bypass standard Kubernetes resource allocation and device plugin enforcement, injecting arbitrary CDI edits (such as device nodes and host mounts) into the restored container. Successful exploitation requires that the node has CDI enabled and contains a matching host CDI specification for the requested device; environments where CDI is disabled or lacking sensitive device specifications are not affected. ### Patches This bug has been fixed in the following containerd versions: * 2.3.2 * 2.2.5 * 2.1.9 Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue. Recreating existing containers restored from untrusted checkpoints may be necessary to remove smuggled configuration. ### Workarounds Users can mitigate this issue by restricting the restoration of containers from untrusted checkpoint images. If Container Device Interface (CDI) capabilities are not utilized on the node, removing or temporarily relocating host CDI specifications from the default directories (`/etc/cdi` and `/var/run/cdi`) will eliminate the reachability of this vulnerability. ### Credits The containerd project would like to thank Robert Prast (@robertprast) for responsibly disclosing this issue in accordance with the [containerd security policy](https://github.com/containerd/project/blob/main/SECURITY.md). ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Open an issue in [containerd](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/issues/new/choose) * Email us at [security@containerd.io](mailto:security@containerd.io) To report a security issue in containerd: * [Report a new vulnerability](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/security/advisories/new) * Email us at [security@containerd.io](mailto:security@containerd.io)

CVE-2026-53492 Affected Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.92.2.52.3.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
Go
≥ 2.1.0
< 2.1.9
2.1.9
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
Go
≥ 2.2.0
< 2.2.5
2.2.5
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
Go
≥ 2.3.0
< 2.3.2
2.3.2

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-53492?
CVE-2026-53492 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 involving containerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2 across affected packages: github.com/containerd/containerd/v2.
What version fixes CVE-2026-53492?
Upgrading to 2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 affected?
Yes, github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 is affected in releases prior to 2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-53492?
CVE-2026-53492 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2026-53492?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/containerd/containerd/v2'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-33vj-92qq-66hc",
  "modified" : "2026-06-19T19:35:40Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-19T19:35:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-53492" ],
  "summary" : "containerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\ncontainerd's CRI implementation improperly trusts Container Device Interface (CDI) annotations found within untrusted checkpoint image metadata during container restoration. When restoring a container from a checkpoint, containerd preserves CDI-related annotations from the checkpoint archive rather than relying solely on the pod's create-time specification. This allows a user with pod creation permissions to bypass standard Kubernetes resource allocation and device plugin enforcement, injecting arbitrary CDI edits (such as device nodes and host mounts) into the restored container. Successful exploitation requires that the node has CDI enabled and contains a matching host CDI specification for the requested device; environments where CDI is disabled or lacking sensitive device specifications are not affected.\n\n### Patches\n\nThis bug has been fixed in the following containerd versions:\n\n* 2.3.2\n* 2.2.5\n* 2.1.9\n\nUsers should update to these versions to resolve the issue. Recreating existing containers restored from untrusted checkpoints may be necessary to remove smuggled configuration.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nUsers can mitigate this issue by restricting the restoration of containers from untrusted checkpoint images. If Container Device Interface (CDI) capabilities are not utilized on the node, removing or temporarily relocating host CDI specifications from the default directories (`/etc/cdi` and `/var/run/cdi`) will eliminate the reachability of this vulnerability.\n\n### Credits\n\nThe containerd project would like to thank Robert Prast (@robertprast) for responsibly disclosing this issue in accordance with the [containerd security policy](https://github.com/containerd/project/blob/main/SECURITY.md).\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n\n* Open an issue in [containerd](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/issues/new/choose)\n* Email us at [security@containerd.io](mailto:security@containerd.io)\n\nTo report a security issue in containerd:\n* [Report a new vulnerability](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/security/advisories/new)\n* Email us at [security@containerd.io](mailto:security@containerd.io)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/containerd/containerd/v2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.1.0"
      }, {
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      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/containerd/containerd/v2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.2.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/containerd/containerd/v2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/containerd/containerd/security/advisories/GHSA-33vj-92qq-66hc"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/containerd/containerd"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-19T19:35:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}