Container-startup denial of service via crafted loader cache
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Denial of service in Inspektor Gadget 0.27.0 through 0.53.0 allows remote attackers to delay container startup via a crafted cache. The uprobe library resolver trusts the cache entry count, overflows a uint32 length calculation, and builds strings byte by byte, causing excessive iteration and quadratic CPU work. An unprivileged container needs control of its /etc/ld.so.cache while a uprobe-based gadget is active; the fanotify pause then blocks other container starts for about a minute without affecting confidentiality or integrity.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in Inspektor Gadget 0.27.0 through 0.53.0 allows remote attackers to delay container startup via a crafted cache. The uprobe library resolver trusts the cache entry count, overflows a uint32 length calculation, and builds strings byte by byte, causing excessive iteration and quadratic CPU work. An unprivileged container needs control of its /etc/ld.so.cache while a uprobe-based gadget is active; the fanotify pause then blocks other container starts for about a minute without affecting confidentiality or integrity.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-53941
- Published
- Sep 15, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 15, 2026
- Vendor
- Inspektor Gadget
- Product
- Inspektor Gadget
- Classifications
- CWE-770, CWE-400, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 15, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 15, 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=>= 0.27.0, < 0.53.1
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
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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