How severe is CVE-2023-27561?

CVE-2023-27561 has a CVSS score of 7/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2023-27561?

CVE-2023-27561 affects the following packages: github.com/opencontainers/runc (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2023-27561?

Update github.com/opencontainers/runc to 1.1.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-27561 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2023-27561 in my Go dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/opencontainers/runc, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2023-27561 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.

Is CVE-2023-27561 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2023-27561, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2023-27561?

CVE-2023-27561 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.4%, placing it in the 39th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2023-27561?

CVE-2023-27561 is classified as CWE-706 (CWE-706). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2023-27561 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2023-27561 was published on March 3, 2023 and was last updated on October 28, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐹

🐹 Go

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

CVE-2023-27561 — runc

HIGHFix: opencontainers/runc#3785

CVE-2023-27561 is a high-severity (CVSS 7) CWE-706 vulnerability in github.com/opencontainers/runc. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/opencontainers/runc — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Opencontainers runc Incorrect Authorization vulnerability

Also known asGHSA-vpvm-3wq2-2wvmGO-2023-1627

Published

Mar 3, 2023

Updated

Oct 28, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

1 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 10, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

No confirmed exploitation observed yet

A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2023-27561.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs39th percentile — riskier than 39% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐹github.com/opencontainers/runc

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

runc 1.0.0-rc95 through 1.1.4 has Incorrect Access Control leading to Escalation of Privileges, related to libcontainer/rootfs_linux.go. To exploit this, an attacker must be able to spawn two containers with custom volume-mount configurations, and be able to run custom images. NOTE: this issue exists because of a CVE-2019-19921 regression.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/opencontainers/runc`	≥ 1.0.0-rc95&&< 1.1.5	1.1.5`go get github.com/opencontainers/runc@v1.1.5`

Affected Products

4 products · 5 configurations

debian linuxdebian

1 version

10.0

Application

runclinuxfoundation

< 1.1.5

range

enterprise linuxredhat

2 versions

8.09.0

Application

openshift container platformredhat

1 version

4.0

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

runc through 1.1.4 has Incorrect Access Control leading to Escalation of…

gist.github.comNVDMar 2023

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/opencontainers/runc, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/opencontainers/runc to 1.1.5 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2023-27561 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatModerate

The vulnerability in runc, related to Incorrect Access Control in libcontainer/rootfs_linux.go, is classified as a moderate severity issue due to its prerequisites for exploitation and the level of access required by an attacker. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must have the capability to spawn two…

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8	`container-tools:4.0-8090020230828093056.e7857ab1`	RHSA-2023:6938
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8	`container-tools:rhel8-8090020230825121312.e7857ab1`	RHSA-2023:6939
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9	`runc-4:1.1.9-1.el9`	RHSA-2023:6380
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.13	`openshift4/ose-vsphere-csi-driver-syncer-rhel8:v4.13.0-202304190216.p0.g6f4295b.assembly.stream`	RHSA-2023:1326
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.13	`runc-4:1.1.6-4.rhaos4.13.el8`	RHSA-2023:3612
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.14	`openshift4/ose-vsphere-csi-driver-syncer-rhel8:v4.14.0-202310201027.p0.ga5ed57f.assembly.stream`	RHSA-2023:5006

UbuntuHIGH

USN-6088-1Ubuntu USN-6088-2Ubuntu

Frequently Asked Questions

runc 1.0.0-rc95 through 1.1.4 has Incorrect Access Control leading to Escalation of Privileges, related to `libcontainer/rootfs_linux.go`. To exploit this, an attacker must be able to spawn two containers with custom volume-mount configurations, and be able to run custom images. NOTE: this issue exists because of a CVE-2019-19921 regression.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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