CVE-2026-53941
Received Received - Intake

Denial of Service in Inspektor Gadget via Malicious ld.so.cache

Publication date: 2026-09-15

Last updated on: 2026-09-15

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description
Inspektor Gadget is a set of tools and framework for data collection and system inspection on Kubernetes clusters and Linux hosts using eBPF. From 0.27.0 until 0.53.1, the uprobe library resolver can allow an unprivileged container to consume excessive CPU and block other containers from starting by supplying a crafted /etc/ld.so.cache file while an uprobe-based gadget is active. The parser in pkg/uprobetracer/ldcache_parser.go trusts EntryCount enough to perform excessive iteration, computes cache1Len with overflowing uint32 arithmetic, and repeatedly calls readStringFromBytes in pkg/uprobetracer/bytes.go, where byte-by-byte immutable string concatenation produces quadratic work. While this processing occurs, pkg/container-hook holds the fanotify container-start pause, allowing a crafted cache to delay startup for roughly a minute, prevent Docker from starting other containers, and degrade monitoring. Processing caches from already-running containers can still consume CPU but does not hold the new-container startup pause, and the advisory establishes no confidentiality or integrity impact. This issue is fixed in version 0.53.1.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-09-15
Last Modified
2026-09-15
Generated
2026-09-15
AI Q&A
2026-09-15
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
CVE-2026-53941
EUVD
EUVD-2026-78939

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
inspektor_gadget inspektor_gadget to 0.53.1 (inc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-770 The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in Inspektor Gadget allows an unprivileged container to cause high CPU usage and block other containers from starting by supplying a crafted /etc/ld.so.cache file while an uprobe-based gadget is active. The parser incorrectly trusts the EntryCount field, leading to excessive iteration and inefficient string operations that consume CPU resources for about 53 seconds per container attachment.

Detection Guidance

Monitor for high CPU usage during container startup or when Inspektor Gadget is active. Check for processes parsing /etc/ld.so.cache files in unprivileged containers. Use tools like top, htop, or ps to identify abnormal CPU consumption by Inspektor Gadget components.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause denial-of-service by delaying container startup for roughly a minute, preventing Docker from starting other containers on the same host. It degrades monitoring performance and may amplify impact if multiple containers are exploited simultaneously. The attack requires no special privileges.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Inspektor Gadget to version 0.53.1 or later. Remove or restrict access to untrusted containers that may mount crafted /etc/ld.so.cache files. Monitor container startup delays and CPU spikes as indicators of exploitation.

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