CVE-2023-27561Public exploit

Privilege escalation via resolved mountpoint symlinks

Published Mar 3, 2023 · Updated Dec 16, 2025

Privilege escalation in OCI runc 1.0.0-rc95 through 1.1.4 allows local users to escape container access controls through crafted mounts. In libcontainer/rootfs_linux.go, SecureJoin resolves a /proc or /sys mountpoint symlink before the directory-type check, so the check validates the resolved target instead of rejecting the symlink. Exploitation requires the ability to spawn two containers with custom volume mounts and custom images; successful exploitation grants host-level privileges.

CVSS severity7.0
High
EPSS probability0.45%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in OCI runc 1.0.0-rc95 through 1.1.4 allows local users to escape container access controls through crafted mounts. In libcontainer/rootfs_linux.go, SecureJoin resolves a /proc or /sys mountpoint symlink before the directory-type check, so the check validates the resolved target instead of rejecting the symlink. Exploitation requires the ability to spawn two containers with custom volume mounts and custom images; successful exploitation grants host-level privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-27561
Published
Mar 3, 2023
Updated
Dec 16, 2025
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-706, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 3, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Dec 16, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.0GitHub Advisory DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-706Use of Incorrectly-Resolved Name or Reference
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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