CVE-2026-24054
Katacontainers Kata Containers vulnerability
- Published29 Jan 2026
Description
Kata Containers is an open source project focusing on a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that perform like containers. In versions prior to 3.26.0, when a container image is malformed or contains no layers, containerd falls back to bind-mounting an empty snapshotter directory for the container rootfs. When the Kata runtime attempts to mount the container rootfs, the bind mount causes the rootfs to be detected as a block device, leading to the underlying device being hotplugged to the guest. This can cause filesystem-level errors on the host due to double inode allocation, and may lead to the host's block device being mounted as read-only. Version 3.26.0 contains a patch for the issue.
CVSS 3.1 breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:HAffected products
Remediation
- https://github.com/containerd/containerd/blob/d939b6af5f8536c2cae85e919e7c40070557df0e/plugins/snapshots/overlay/overlay.go#L564-L581
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/blob/a164693e1afead84cd01d5bc3575e2cbfe64ce35/src/runtime/virtcontainers/container.go#L1122-L1126
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/blob/c7d0c270ee7dfaa6d978e6e07b99dabdaf2b9fda/src/runtime/virtcontainers/container.go#L1616-L1623
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/commit/20ca4d2d79aa5bf63aa1254f08915da84f19e92a
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/security/advisories/GHSA-5fc8-gg7w-3g5c
References
- https://github.com/containerd/containerd/blob/d939b6af5f8536c2cae85e919e7c40070557df0e/plugins/snapshots/overlay/overlay.go#L564-L581
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/blob/a164693e1afead84cd01d5bc3575e2cbfe64ce35/src/runtime/virtcontainers/container.go#L1122-L1126
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/blob/c7d0c270ee7dfaa6d978e6e07b99dabdaf2b9fda/src/runtime/virtcontainers/container.go#L1616-L1623
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/commit/20ca4d2d79aa5bf63aa1254f08915da84f19e92a
- https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers/security/advisories/GHSA-5fc8-gg7w-3g5c
Related CVEs
Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.
Frequently asked
Is CVE-2026-24054 being actively exploited?
CVE-2026-24054 is not in the CISA KEV catalog. A public exploit reference exists, so treat it as exploitable. Its EPSS exploit probability is 0.50%.
How severe is CVE-2026-24054?
CVE-2026-24054 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 10.0, rated critical. EPSS estimates a 0.50% probability of exploitation.
Which products are affected by CVE-2026-24054?
Affected products include Katacontainers Kata Containers.
How do I fix CVE-2026-24054?
Upgrade affected software to a fixed version, for example Katacontainers Kata Containers 3.26.0 or later, then confirm no affected versions remain in your inventory.
How Secuno handles this
Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2026-24054 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.
Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.