Host service interruption via symlink-swap race
Published Jun 12, 2026 · Updated Jun 12, 2026
TOCTOU race in Moby 28.5.2 and earlier and Moby v2 before 2.0.0-beta.14 allows attackers to create empty files or directories at arbitrary host paths. After GetResourcePath resolves a volume destination, createIfNotExists uses os.MkdirAll or os.OpenFile on that absolute path, so an in-container symlink swap redirects the root operation beyond the container filesystem. Exploitation requires a running container with a volume mount, rapid symlink replacement, and an operator-initiated docker cp or archive API request; the result is host service interruption without access to existing file contents.
Summary
What happened
TOCTOU race in Moby 28.5.2 and earlier and Moby v2 before 2.0.0-beta.14 allows attackers to create empty files or directories at arbitrary host paths. After GetResourcePath resolves a volume destination, createIfNotExists uses os.MkdirAll or os.OpenFile on that absolute path, so an in-container symlink swap redirects the root operation beyond the container filesystem. Exploitation requires a running container with a volume mount, rapid symlink replacement, and an operator-initiated docker cp or archive API request; the result is host service interruption without access to existing file contents.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-41568
- Published
- Jun 12, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 12, 2026
- Vendor
- Moby Project
- Product
- Moby
- Classifications
- CWE-61, CWE-367, CWE-81, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 12, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 12, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=Docker Engine < 29.5.1
- Affected versionversion=github.com/docker/docker/daemon <= 28.5.2
- Affected versionversion=github.com/moby/moby/v2/daemon < 2.0.0-beta.14
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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