Host-root escalation via unchecked snapshot restoration
Published Jun 26, 2026 · Updated Jun 26, 2026
Privilege escalation in LXD 5.0.0 through 5.0.6, 5.21.0 through 5.21.4, and 6.0 through 6.8 allows remote authenticated users to gain host root. Snapshot restore copies restricted keys from imported per-snapshot configuration onto the live instance without rerunning project policy validation. Exploitation requires delegated instance creation and edit rights in a restricted project, a crafted backup, snapshot restoration, and instance startup.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in LXD 5.0.0 through 5.0.6, 5.21.0 through 5.21.4, and 6.0 through 6.8 allows remote authenticated users to gain host root. Snapshot restore copies restricted keys from imported per-snapshot configuration onto the live instance without rerunning project policy validation. Exploitation requires delegated instance creation and edit rights in a restricted project, a crafted backup, snapshot restoration, and instance startup.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-9640
- Published
- Jun 26, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 26, 2026
- Vendor
- Canonical
- Product
- LXD
- Classifications
- CWE-863, T1068
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 26, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 26, 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=5.0.0 <5.0.7
- Affected versionversion=5.21.0 <5.21.5
- Affected versionversion=6.0 <6.9
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
- Canonical snapshot-import restriction-bypass proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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