Vulnerabilities in pkg:golang/github.com/containerd/containerd/v2

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rp3h-jf77-q9p4
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-95838 is a MODERATE denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting containerd libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves unpack dos via repeated opaque whiteouts. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.0.12, 1.7.35, 2.2.8, 2.3.5.

15 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:golang/github.com/containerd/containerd/v2

15 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:golang/github.com/containerd/containerd/v2. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-rp3h-jf77-q9p4 CVE-2026-95838 MODERATE containerd: Unpack DoS via repeated opaque whiteouts
GHSA-p7v4-vr35-mj6f CVE-2026-95837 HIGH containerd CRI plugin: Checkpoint restore bypasses destination security context
GHSA-pg57-6jwg-q645 CVE-2026-53493 MODERATE Containerd has image-pull DoS via crafted OCI index graph amplification
GHSA-7jxh-36q5-gcqv CVE-2026-53495 MODERATE containerd: CRI ExecSync Goroutine Leak Leads to Node-Level Denial of Service
GHSA-cvxm-645q-p574 CVE-2026-50195 MODERATE containerd: CRI checkpoint import allows local image tag poisoning
GHSA-fqw6-gf59-qr4w CVE-2026-46680 HIGH containerd user ID handling bypass allows runAsNonRoot evasion
GHSA-33vj-92qq-66hc CVE-2026-53492 HIGH containerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling
GHSA-rgh6-rfwx-v388 CVE-2026-53489 HIGH Arbitrary host CRI log file read via symlink following in CRI checkpoint restore
GHSA-xhf5-7wjv-pqxp CVE-2026-53488 HIGH containerd CRI — image-config `LABEL` flows to restart-monitor `binary://` logger: host-root command execution from an image pull
GHSA-jpcc-p29g-p8mq CVE-2026-47262 MODERATE containerd image-triggered runtime DoS via unbounded group parsing
GHSA-m6hq-p25p-ffr2 CVE-2025-64329 MODERATE containerd CRI server: Host memory exhaustion through Attach goroutine leak
GHSA-pwhc-rpq9-4c8w CVE-2024-25621 HIGH containerd affected by a local privilege escalation via wide permissions on CRI directory
GHSA-cxfp-7pvr-95ff CVE-2025-47291 MODERATE containerd CRI plugin: Incorrect cgroup hierarchy assignment for containers running in usernamespaced Kubernetes pods.
GHSA-cm76-qm8v-3j95 CVE-2025-47290 HIGH containerd allows host filesystem access on pull
GHSA-265r-hfxg-fhmg CVE-2024-40635 MODERATE containerd has an integer overflow in User ID handling

CVE-2026-95838 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-95838
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rp3h-jf77-q9p4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product containerd
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2026-95838

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected containerd 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: 2.0.12
Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 to 2.0.12
github.com/containerd/containerd fixed: 1.7.35
Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd to 1.7.35
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed: 2.2.8
Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 to 2.2.8
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 fixed: 2.3.5
Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 to 2.3.5
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-2026-95838, inspect your project dependencies for containerd:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of containerd in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.0.12), 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In containerd, 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 vulnerability exists in containerd's layer unpack handler where the processing of certain image layers causes superlinear time complexity. During the unpack operation, specific file configurations within the layer can trigger repeated directory traversals. Consequently, pulling or importing a maliciously crafted image can result in increased unpack times and a moderate increase in CPU usage. This delays container startup, even if the compressed image layers are small. Additionally, in orchestrators like Kubernetes that apply concurrency limits to image pulls, these excessively long operations can reduce the available concurrency for other pulls, potentially delaying unrelated container deployments. ### Patches This bug has been fixed in containerd 2.3.5, 2.2.8, 2.0.12, and 1.7.35. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue. ### Workarounds There are no known workarounds for this issue. Users are advised to only pull and import trusted images from known registries until the patch can be applied. ### Credits The containerd project would like to thank Jakub Ciolek of AlphaSense 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-2026-95838 Affected containerd Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.0.121.7.352.2.82.3.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
Go
< 2.0.12
2.0.12
github.com/containerd/containerd
Go
< 1.7.35
1.7.35
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
Go
≥ 2.2.0
< 2.2.8
2.2.8
github.com/containerd/containerd/v2
Go
≥ 2.3.0
< 2.3.5
2.3.5

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-95838?
CVE-2026-95838 is a security vulnerability in containerd involving Unpack DoS via repeated opaque whiteouts under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which containerd versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.0.12, 1.7.35, 2.2.8, 2.3.5 across affected packages: github.com/containerd/containerd/v2, github.com/containerd/containerd.
What version fixes CVE-2026-95838?
Upgrading to 2.0.12, 1.7.35, 2.2.8, 2.3.5 (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 2.0.12, 2.2.8, 2.3.5. Upgrade your dependency to 2.0.12, 2.2.8, 2.3.5 or later.
Is github.com/containerd/containerd affected?
Yes, github.com/containerd/containerd is affected in releases prior to 1.7.35. Upgrade your dependency to 1.7.35 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-95838?
CVE-2026-95838 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2026-95838?
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-rp3h-jf77-q9p4",
  "modified" : "2026-10-15T20:22:05Z",
  "published" : "2026-10-15T20:22:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-95838" ],
  "summary" : "containerd: Unpack DoS via repeated opaque whiteouts",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nA vulnerability exists in containerd's layer unpack handler where the processing of certain image layers causes superlinear time complexity. During the unpack operation, specific file configurations within the layer can trigger repeated directory traversals.\n\nConsequently, pulling or importing a maliciously crafted image can result in increased unpack times and a moderate increase in CPU usage. This delays container startup, even if the compressed image layers are small. Additionally, in orchestrators like Kubernetes that apply concurrency limits to image pulls, these excessively long operations can reduce the available concurrency for other pulls, potentially delaying unrelated container deployments.\n\n### Patches\n\nThis bug has been fixed in containerd 2.3.5, 2.2.8, 2.0.12, and 1.7.35. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nThere are no known workarounds for this issue. Users are advised to only pull and import trusted images from known registries until the patch can be applied.\n\n### Credits\n\nThe containerd project would like to thank Jakub Ciolek of AlphaSense 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:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
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  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/containerd/containerd/security/advisories/GHSA-rp3h-jf77-q9p4"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-95838"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/containerd/containerd/commit/e6ca378dcfa610d06589a3ac96aa992de866e4f0"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/containerd/containerd"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
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    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-10-15T20:22:05Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-10-12T20:17:10Z"
  }
}