Improper Privilege Management and Execution with Unnecessary Privileges in Kata ContainersGHSA-6978-vg2j-cc9q
CRITICALFix: kata-containers/agent#792GHSA-6978-vg2j-cc9q is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-250 vulnerability in github.com/kata-containers/agent. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/kata-containers/agent — see the affected versions and patch details below.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-6978-vg2j-cc9q by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,987 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/kata-containers/agent🐹github.com/kata-containers/agent🐹github.com/kata-containers/agent🐹github.com/kata-containers/runtime🐹github.com/kata-containers/runtime🐹github.com/kata-containers/runtimeReal-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
Kata Containers doesn't restrict containers from accessing the guest's root filesystem device. Malicious containers can exploit this to gain code execution on the guest and masquerade as the kata-agent. This issue affects Kata Containers 1.11 versions earlier than 1.11.1; Kata Containers 1.10 versions earlier than 1.10.5; and Kata Containers 1.9 and earlier versions.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/kata-containers/agent | all versions | 1.9.1go get github.com/kata-containers/agent@v1.9.1 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kata-containers/agent | ≥ 1.10.0&&< 1.10.5 | 1.10.5go get github.com/kata-containers/agent@v1.10.5 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kata-containers/agent | ≥ 1.11.0&&< 1.11.1 | 1.11.1go get github.com/kata-containers/agent@v1.11.1 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kata-containers/runtime | all versions | 1.9.1go get github.com/kata-containers/runtime@v1.9.1 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kata-containers/runtime | ≥ 1.10.0&&< 1.10.5 | 1.10.5go get github.com/kata-containers/runtime@v1.10.5 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/kata-containers/runtime | ≥ 1.11.0&&< 1.11.1 | 1.11.1go get github.com/kata-containers/runtime@v1.11.1 |
Affected Products
runtimekatacontainersResearch 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/kata-containers/agent, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/kata-containers/agent to 1.9.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-6978-vg2j-cc9q is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-6978-vg2j-cc9q in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.