CVE-2026-44210
Awaiting Analysis Awaiting Analysis - Queue

Kata Containers Privilege Escalation via Virtiofsd Command Injection

Publication date: 2026-07-23

Last updated on: 2026-07-23

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. Versions prior to 3.31.0 ship with a default configuration that allows pod creators to inject arbitrary command-line arguments into the virtiofsd process through the `io.katacontainers.config.hypervisor.virtio_fs_extra_args` pod annotation. By injecting `-o source=/` along with `--no-announce-submounts` and `--sandbox=none`, an attacker can override the virtiofsd shared directory to serve the entire host root filesystem into the guest VM. Combined with the `kernel_params` annotation (also enabled by default) to activate the agent debug console, the attacker can mount the host filesystem from inside the VM and read or write any file on the host, including /etc/shadow. Version 3.31.0 patches the issue.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
Percentile:

Meta Information

Published
2026-07-23
Last Modified
2026-07-23
Generated
2026-07-23
AI Q&A
2026-07-23
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-44210
EUVD
EUVD-2026-48339

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 3 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
kata_containers kata_containers to 3.31.0 (exc)
kata_containers kata_containers 3.31.0
katacontainers katacontainers to 3.31.0 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
CWE Icon
KEV
KEV Icon
CWE ID Description
CWE-88 The product constructs a string for a command to be executed by a separate component in another control sphere, but it does not properly delimit the intended arguments, options, or switches within that command string.

Attack-Flow Graph

AI Quick Actions

Instant insights powered by AI
Executive Summary

CVE-2026-44210 is a vulnerability in Kata Containers where default pod annotations allow attackers to inject malicious command-line arguments into the virtiofsd process. By exploiting the io.katacontainers.config.hypervisor.virtio_fs_extra_args annotation, an attacker can override the shared directory to serve the host's entire root filesystem into a guest VM. Combined with the kernel_params annotation enabling the debug console, this grants root access to the host from inside the VM.

Detection Guidance

Check Kata Containers versions prior to 3.31.0 using commands like 'kata-runtime --version' or inspecting Kubernetes pod annotations for 'io.katacontainers.config.hypervisor.virtio_fs_extra_args' and 'kernel_params' in affected clusters.

Impact Analysis

An attacker who can create pods on a Kubernetes cluster using vulnerable Kata Containers versions can read or write any file on the host, access other containers' data, or compromise the Kubernetes control plane if it runs on the same host. This includes sensitive files like /etc/shadow.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating compliance requirements such as GDPR's data protection principles or HIPAA's security rules. Unauthorized file access on hosts may result in data breaches, exposing personal or health information.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Kata Containers to version 3.31.0 or later. Disable the 'virtio_fs_extra_args' annotation in runtime configurations and review pod annotations for suspicious values like '-o source=/' or '--sandbox=none'.

Chat Assistant

Ask questions about this CVE
Hi! I’m here to help you understand CVE-2026-44210. Ask me anything about the vulnerability, its impact, or mitigation strategies.
0/70

EPSS Chart