Arbitrary file substitution via unchecked APK data hash
Published Sep 11, 2026 · Updated Sep 11, 2026
Integrity check bypass in Chainguard apko before 1.2.9 and Melange before 0.50.4 allows attackers to substitute APK package files. The installer verifies the APK control-section hash against the signed APKINDEX but never verifies the data-section hash covering installed files. Exploitation requires control of a mirror or cache, or a man-in-the-middle position during package retrieval, and places substituted files into built images.
Summary
What happened
Integrity check bypass in Chainguard apko before 1.2.9 and Melange before 0.50.4 allows attackers to substitute APK package files. The installer verifies the APK control-section hash against the signed APKINDEX but never verifies the data-section hash covering installed files. Exploitation requires control of a mirror or cache, or a man-in-the-middle position during package retrieval, and places substituted files into built images.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-54174
- Published
- Sep 11, 2026
- Updated
- Sep 11, 2026
- Vendor
- Chainguard
- Product
- apko
- Classifications
- CWE-345, CWE-354, T1195.001
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 11, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 11, 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=< 1.2.9
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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