CVE-2026-46680Public exploit

runAsNonRoot bypass via oversized numeric user

Published Jul 1, 2026 · Updated Jul 1, 2026

Privilege escalation in affected containerd releases allows attackers to run a crafted Kubernetes container as root despite runAsNonRoot. The CRI user-resolution path reinterprets a numeric image User value that overflows a 32-bit integer as a username, then resolves a crafted /etc/passwd entry to UID 0. Exploitation requires permission to import and launch an attacker-controlled image on a Kubernetes node; it grants root only inside the container and does not itself escape to the host.

CVSS severity7.3
High
EPSS probability0.16%
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 affected containerd releases allows attackers to run a crafted Kubernetes container as root despite runAsNonRoot. The CRI user-resolution path reinterprets a numeric image User value that overflows a 32-bit integer as a username, then resolves a crafted /etc/passwd entry to UID 0. Exploitation requires permission to import and launch an attacker-controlled image on a Kubernetes node; it grants root only inside the container and does not itself escape to the host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-46680
Published
Jul 1, 2026
Updated
Jul 1, 2026
Vendor
containerd
Product
containerd
Classifications
CWE-269, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 1, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jul 1, 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=< 1.7.32
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 2.0.10, < 2.2.4
  3. Affected versionversion=>= 2.0.4, < 2.0.9
  4. Affected versionversion=>= 2.2.5, < 2.3.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

containerd · containerdversion=< 1.7.32; version=>= 2.0.10, < 2.2.4; version=>= 2.0.4, < 2.0.9; version=>= 2.2.5, < 2.3.1

Published CVSS scores

7.3GitHub, Inc.CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
7.8NISTCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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.

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

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-269Improper Privilege Management
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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