CVE-2026-44881Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Authenticated file read via Git symlink injection

Published May 28, 2026 · Updated May 28, 2026

Link following in Portainer Community Edition allows remote authenticated users to read files accessible to the server process via Git-backed stacks. The stack checkout creates unvalidated OS symlinks from Git entries, and GET /api/stacks/{id}/file passes the entry point to os.ReadFile without resolving containment. Any authenticated user allowed to create or update a Git-backed stack can return arbitrary readable file contents, including secrets mounted in the Portainer process.

CVSS severity9.9
Critical
EPSS probability0.42%
Next 30 days · Sep 17, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

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Summary

What happened

Link following in Portainer Community Edition allows remote authenticated users to read files accessible to the server process via Git-backed stacks. The stack checkout creates unvalidated OS symlinks from Git entries, and GET /api/stacks/{id}/file passes the entry point to os.ReadFile without resolving containment. Any authenticated user allowed to create or update a Git-backed stack can return arbitrary readable file contents, including secrets mounted in the Portainer process.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-44881
Published
May 28, 2026
Updated
May 28, 2026
Vendor
Portainer
Product
Portainer Community Edition
Classifications
CWE-200, CWE-59, T1005
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 28, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 28, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=>= 2.33.0, < 2.33.8
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 2.39.0, < 2.39.2
  3. Affected versionversion=>= 2.40.0, < 2.41.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Portainer · Portainer Community Editionversion=>= 2.33.0, < 2.33.8; version=>= 2.39.0, < 2.39.2; version=>= 2.40.0, < 2.41.0

Published CVSS scores

8.5GitHub, Inc.CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
9.9NISTCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 11, 2026Sep 17, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 17, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
T1005Data from Local System

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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