CVE-2026-41567: Docker `PUT /containers/{id}/archive` Executes Container Binary Vulnerability

{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-x86f-5xw2-fm2r",
  "modified" : "2026-06-09T11:55:27Z",
  "published" : "2026-05-18T17:47:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-41567" ],
  "summary" : "Docker: `PUT /containers/{id}/archive` executes container binary on the host",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nWhen a user uploads a compressed archive into a container, a malicious image can execute arbitrary code with daemon (host root) privileges.\n\n## Details\n\nWhen handling `PUT /containers/{id}/archive` requests with compressed archives, the daemon decompresses them using external system binaries. Due to incorrect ordering of operations, these binaries are resolved from the container's filesystem rather than the host's. A container image that includes a trojanized decompression binary can achieve code execution as the daemon process whenever a compressed archive is uploaded to that container.\n\nThe executed binary runs with the daemon's full privileges, including host root UID and unrestricted capabilities.\n\n## Impact\n\nArbitrary code execution as host root, crossing the container-to-host trust boundary.\n\n### Conditions for exploitation\n\n- A user must run a container from a malicious image that contains a trojanized decompression binary.\n- The user must then upload a compressed archive (xz or gzip) into that container, either by piping a compressed archive via `docker cp -` or by calling the `PUT /containers/{id}/archive` API directly with compressed content.\n\n### Not affected\n\nStandard `docker cp` usage is **not** affected, because the CLI sends uncompressed tar by default:\n\n```\ndocker cp ./file.txt mycontainer:/file.txt\n```\n\nThis can only be exploited when explicitly passing a xz or gzip-compressed archive to `docker cp` or the `PUT /containers/{id}/archive` API, for example:\n\n```\ncat archive.tar.xz | docker cp - mycontainer:/dir\n```\n\nDecompression formats using pure Go implementations (bzip2, zstd, and gzip when the container image does not contain an `unpigz` binary) are also not affected.\n\n## Workarounds\n\n- Only run containers from trusted images.\n- Use authorization plugins to limit access to the `PUT /containers/{id}/archive` endpoint.\n- Avoid piping compressed archives into containers created from untrusted images.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/moby/moby/v2"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.0.0-beta.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/docker/docker"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "28.5.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/moby/moby"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "28.5.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moby/moby/security/advisories/GHSA-x86f-5xw2-fm2r"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41567"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/moby/moby"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-427" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-18T17:47:23Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-06-05T02:17:13Z"
  }
}