# CVE-2022-23471: containerd CRI stream server: Host memory exhaustion through terminal resize goroutine leak > An attacker can exhaust host memory via a goroutine leak in containerd's CRI stream server when handling failed TTY launches, causing denial of service. - **Severity:** Medium 5.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Any signed-in user - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 7 Dec 2022 - **Updated:** 23 Apr 2025 - **Also known as:** AZL-11585, CLEANSTART-2025-SX71346, DEBIAN-CVE-2022-23471, GHSA-2qjp-425j-52j9, GO-2022-1147, OESA-2022-2143, SUSE-SU-2023:1566-1, SUSE-SU-2023:1628-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-23471, openSUSE-SU-2024:12558-1 ## What is CVE-2022-23471? CVE-2022-23471 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in containerd, published on 7 Dec 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link. ### Official description containerd is an open source container runtime. A bug was found in containerd's CRI implementation where a user can exhaust memory on the host. In the CRI stream server, a goroutine is launched to handle terminal resize events if a TTY is requested. If the user's process fails to launch due to, for example, a faulty command, the goroutine will be stuck waiting to send without a receiver, resulting in a memory leak. Kubernetes and crictl can both be configured to use containerd's CRI implementation and the stream server is used for handling container IO. This bug has been fixed in containerd 1.6.12 and 1.5.16. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue. Users unable to upgrade should ensure that only trusted images and commands are used and that only trusted users have permissions to execute commands in running containers. Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime), CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-23471? 5 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/containerd/containerd. It affects 1 product. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | All versions | 1.5.16, 1.6.12 | | `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | All versions | 1.5.16 | | `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | All versions | 1.5.16 | | `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | From 1.6.0 | 1.6.12 | | `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | From 1.6.0 | 1.6.12 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7.1 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.1 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 12 | All versions | 1.6.16-16.71.1 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Containers 15 SP4 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | openSUSE:Leap Micro 5.3 | All versions | 1.6.16-150000.82.2 | | `containerd` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 1.6.12-1.1 | Products: Linuxfoundation Containerd. ## How do I fix CVE-2022-23471? Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd to a fixed version for your release line: 1.5.16 or 1.6.12. ## Is CVE-2022-23471 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-23471 in the wild and no public exploit code. ## Other vulnerabilities in containerd - [CVE-2026-53488](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53488/): containerd CRI — image-config `LABEL` flows to restart-monitor `binary://` logger: host-root command execution from an image pull (critical 9.4) - [CVE-2026-53492](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53492/): containerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling (high 8.4) - [CVE-2026-53489](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53489/): containerd: Arbitrary host CRI log file read via symlink following in CRI checkpoint restore (high 8.2) - [CVE-2025-47290](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-47290/): Containerd vulnerable to host filesystem access during image unpack (high 7.6) - [CVE-2026-46680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-46680/): containerd user ID handling bypass allows runAsNonRoot evasion (high 7.3) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2022-23471 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2022-23471 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in containerd, published on 7 Dec 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link. Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-23471 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected packages and fixed versions: - github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.16, 1.6.12 - github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.16 - github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.16 - github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.12 - github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.12 Task: 1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies. 2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it. 3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead. 4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why. 5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing. Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23471/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23471/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-23471 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23471 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-23471 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23471/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.