Podman's incorrect handling of the supplementary groups may lead to data disclosure, modificationGHSA-4wjj-jwc9-2x96
HIGHFix: containers/podman#15618GHSA-4wjj-jwc9-2x96 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.1) CWE-842 vulnerability in github.com/containers/podman/v4. 2 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/containers/podman/v4 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
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 GHSA-4wjj-jwc9-2x96.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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
github.com/containers/podman/v4🐹github.com/containers/podman/v3Real-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
An incorrect handling of the supplementary groups in the Podman container engine might lead to the sensitive information disclosure or possible data modification if an attacker has direct access to the affected container where supplementary groups are used to set access permissions and is able to execute a binary code in that container.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/containers/podman/v4 | all versions | 4.2.0go get github.com/containers/podman/v4@v4.2.0 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/containers/podman/v3 | all versions | 3.0.1go get github.com/containers/podman/v3@v3.0.1 |
Affected Products
podmanpodman_projectenterprise linuxredhatopenshift container platformredhatResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/containers/podman/v4, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/containers/podman/v4 to 4.2.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-4wjj-jwc9-2x96 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.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | container-tools:rhel8-8070020221026183352.489fc8e9 | RHSA-2022:7822 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | container-tools:4.0-8080020230217080101.8108cfbc | RHSA-2023:2802 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | buildah-1:1.27.0-2.el9 | RHSA-2022:8008 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | podman-2:4.2.0-7.el9_1 | RHSA-2022:8431 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 | buildah-1:1.23.4-5.1.rhaos4.12.el8 | RHSA-2023:3613 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-4wjj-jwc9-2x96 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.