How severe is CVE-2026-46680?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2026-46680 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-46680?

CVE-2026-46680 affects the following packages: github.com/containerd/containerd (Go), github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go), github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go), github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go). Ecosystems affected: Go.

How do I fix CVE-2026-46680?

Update github.com/containerd/containerd to 1.7.32 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-46680 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2026-46680 in my Go dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2026-46680 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.

Is CVE-2026-46680 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2026-46680 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2026-46680?

CVE-2026-46680 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.2%, placing it in the 5th 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-2026-46680?

CVE-2026-46680 is classified as Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2026-46680 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2026-46680 was published on July 1, 2026 and was last updated on August 12, 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

CVE-2026-46680 — containerd

CVE-2026-46680 is a Improper Privilege Management vulnerability in github.com/containerd/containerd. A fix is available for github.com/containerd/containerd — see the affected versions and patch details below.

containerd user ID handling bypass allows runAsNonRoot evasion

Also known asGHSA-fqw6-gf59-qr4wGO-2026-5378

Published

Jul 1, 2026

Updated

Aug 12, 2026

Affected

4 pkgs

Patched

4 / 4

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Sep 28, 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-2026-46680.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs5th percentile — riskier than 5% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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

Real-World Exposure

4 pkgs affected

🐹github.com/containerd/containerd🐹github.com/containerd/containerd/v2🐹github.com/containerd/containerd/v2🐹github.com/containerd/containerd/v2

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

Impact

A bug was found in containerd where containers launched with a numeric User directive that cannot be parsed as a 32-bit integer are incorrectly treated as a username. If a crafted image provides an /etc/passwd file mapping this large numeric string to root, the container ultimately runs as root (UID 0). This allows the Kubernetes runAsNonRoot restriction to be bypassed, causing unexpected behavior for environments that require containers to run as a non-root user.

Patches

This bug has been fixed in the following containerd versions:

2.3.1
2.2.4
2.0.9
1.7.32

Note: The containerd 2.1 release has reached its end of life and a fixed version is not provided.

Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue.

Workarounds

Ensure that only trusted images are used and that only trusted users have permissions to import images. Alternatively, enforcing a specific numeric runAsUser in the Kubernetes Pod securityContext overrides the USER directive in the image and prevents the bypass. Newer versions of Kubernetes, starting with 1.34, also appear to enforce runAsNonRoot properly regardless of this bug.

Credits

The containerd project would like to thank Lei Wang (@ssst0n3) for responsibly disclosing this issue in accordance with the containerd security policy.

Resources

https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-265r-hfxg-fhmg (CVE-2024-40635)

For more information

If there are any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in containerd
Send an email to [email protected]

To report a security issue in containerd:

Report a new vulnerability
Send an email to [email protected]

Affected Packages

4 total 4 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐹Go	`github.com/containerd/containerd`	≥ 1.7.27&&< 1.7.32	1.7.32`go get github.com/containerd/containerd@v1.7.32`
🐹Go	`github.com/containerd/containerd/v2`	≥ 2.0.4&&< 2.0.9	2.0.9`go get github.com/containerd/containerd/v2@v2.0.9`
🐹Go	`github.com/containerd/containerd/v2`	≥ 2.1.0-beta.0&&< 2.2.4	2.2.4`go get github.com/containerd/containerd/v2@v2.2.4`
🐹Go	`github.com/containerd/containerd/v2`	≥ 2.3.0-beta.0&&< 2.3.1	2.3.1`go get github.com/containerd/containerd/v2@v2.3.1`

Affected Products

1 product · 4 configurations

Application

containerdlinuxfoundation

≥ 2.3.0 && < 2.3.1

range

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/containerd/containerd, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/containerd/containerd to 1.7.32 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2026-46680 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Close the privilege gap rather than the entry point: audit which accounts, roles and service identities can reach the affected operation, drop the component to the least privilege it actually needs, and review file and directory permissions created by earlier installs — a default left in place is what makes this reachable.

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 HatImportant

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform and its layered products include the containerd Go library as a build-time dependency for various components. These products do not use containerd as a container runtime; CRI-O is used instead. The vulnerable code path responsible for parsing User directives during container…

Workaround published by Red Hat

Enforce a specific numeric runAsUser in the Kubernetes Pod securityContext, which overrides the User directive in the container image and prevents the bypass. Additionally, restrict access to push container images to trusted users only, and validate image provenance before deployment.

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2026-46680 (CC BY 4.0)

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat Hardened Images	`trivy-main-0.72.0-0.1.hum1`	RHSA-2026:35111

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact A bug was found in containerd where containers launched with a numeric `User` directive that cannot be parsed as a 32-bit integer are incorrectly treated as a username. If a crafted image provides an `/etc/passwd` file mapping this large numeric string to root, the container ultimately runs as root (UID 0). This allows the Kubernetes `runAsNonRoot` restriction to be bypassed, causing unexpected behavior for environments that require containers to run as a non-root user. ### Patches This bug has been fixed in the following containerd versions: * 2.3.1 * 2.2.4 * 2.0.9 * 1.7.32 Note

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