CVE-2025-47291: containerd CRI plugin Incorrect Cgroup Hierarchy Assignment For Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cxfp-7pvr-95ff
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CWE-266
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-47291 is a MODERATE incorrect cgroup hierarchy assignment for vulnerability (CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment) affecting containerd CRI plugin libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves incorrect cgroup hierarchy assignment for containers running in usernamespaced kubernetes pods.. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.0.5.

CVE-2025-47291 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-47291
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cxfp-7pvr-95ff
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
Affected Product containerd CRI plugin
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2025-47291

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected containerd CRI plugin 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: 2.0.5 
Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 to 2.0.5
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-2025-47291, inspect your project dependencies for containerd CRI plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of containerd CRI plugin in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.0.5), 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-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment, where a product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In containerd CRI plugin, 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 A bug was found in the containerd's CRI implementation where containerd doesn't put usernamespaced containers under the Kubernetes' cgroup hierarchy, therefore some Kubernetes limits are not honored. This may cause a denial of service of the Kubernetes node. # Patches This bug has been fixed in containerd 2.0.5+ and 2.1.0+. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue. # Workarounds Disable usernamespaced pods in Kubernetes temporarily. # Credits The containerd project would like to thank Rodrigo Campos Catelin and Piotr Rogowski 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 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-2025-47291 Affected containerd CRI plugin Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.0.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
golang/github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
Go
≥ 2.0.1
< 2.0.5
2.0.5

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/containerd/containerd/security/advisories/GHSA-cxfp-7pvr-95ff
NVD — CVE-2025-47291 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-47291
containerd CRI plugin Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/containerd/containerd
pkg.go.dev/vuln/go-2025-3701 WEB
https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2025-3701

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-47291?
CVE-2025-47291 is a security vulnerability in containerd CRI plugin involving Incorrect cgroup hierarchy assignment for containers running in usernamespaced Kubernetes pods. under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment.
Which containerd CRI plugin versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.0.5 across affected packages: github.com/containerd/containerd/v2.
What version fixes CVE-2025-47291?
Upgrading to 2.0.5 (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 2.0.5. Upgrade your dependency to 2.0.5 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-47291?
CVE-2025-47291 is classified under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment (A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2025-47291?
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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-cxfp-7pvr-95ff",
  "modified" : "2025-05-28T19:45:21Z",
  "published" : "2025-05-21T18:01:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-47291" ],
  "summary" : "containerd CRI plugin: Incorrect cgroup hierarchy assignment for containers running in usernamespaced Kubernetes pods.",
  "details" : "# Impact\n\nA bug was found in the containerd's CRI implementation where containerd doesn't put usernamespaced containers under the Kubernetes' cgroup hierarchy, therefore some Kubernetes limits are not honored. This may cause a denial of service of the Kubernetes node.\n\n# Patches\n\nThis bug has been fixed in containerd 2.0.5+ and 2.1.0+. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue.\n\n# Workarounds\n\nDisable usernamespaced pods in Kubernetes temporarily.\n\n# Credits\n\nThe containerd project would like to thank Rodrigo Campos Catelin and Piotr Rogowski 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\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\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:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/containerd/containerd/v2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.0.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.0.5"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.0.4"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/containerd/containerd/security/advisories/GHSA-cxfp-7pvr-95ff"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-47291"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/containerd/containerd"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pkg.go.dev/vuln/GO-2025-3701"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-266" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-21T18:01:48Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-05-21T18:15:52Z"
  }
}