Authenticated server interruption via unbounded YAML decoding
Published May 7, 2026 · Updated May 7, 2026
Resource exhaustion in Linux Containers Incus before 7.0.0 allows remote authenticated users to interrupt the server via crafted tarballs. The getImageMetadata and backup.GetInfo paths pass metadata.yaml and backup/index.yaml entries directly to yaml.NewDecoder without checking hdr.Size or limiting reads. Image or backup upload permission is required; a large flat YAML document amplifies memory use in incusd and can exhaust daemon or host memory.
Summary
What happened
Resource exhaustion in Linux Containers Incus before 7.0.0 allows remote authenticated users to interrupt the server via crafted tarballs. The getImageMetadata and backup.GetInfo paths pass metadata.yaml and backup/index.yaml entries directly to yaml.NewDecoder without checking hdr.Size or limiting reads. Image or backup upload permission is required; a large flat YAML document amplifies memory use in incusd and can exhaust daemon or host memory.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-41648
- Published
- May 7, 2026
- Updated
- May 7, 2026
- Vendor
- Linux Containers
- Product
- Incus
- Classifications
- CWE-770, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 7, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 7, 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=< 7.0.0
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
- TestUnboundedYAMLMetadataDecode reproductionproof of concept · demonstrated
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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