# CVE-2022-31030: containerd CRI plugin: Host memory exhaustion through ExecSync

> A bug in containerd's CRI plugin allows containers to exhaust host memory via ExecSync, causing denial of service to other workloads.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 6 Jun 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** AZL-9918, CLEANSTART-2025-UG08794, DEBIAN-CVE-2022-31030, GHSA-5ffw-gxpp-mxpf, GO-2022-0482, MGASA-2022-0227, OESA-2022-1743, UBUNTU-CVE-2022-31030, openSUSE-SU-2024:12130-1

## What is CVE-2022-31030?

CVE-2022-31030 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 6 Jun 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

containerd is an open source container runtime. A bug was found in the containerd's CRI implementation where programs inside a container can cause the containerd daemon to consume memory without bound during invocation of the `ExecSync` API. This can cause containerd to consume all available memory on the computer, denying service to other legitimate workloads. Kubernetes and crictl can both be configured to use containerd's CRI implementation; `ExecSync` may be used when running probes or when executing processes via an "exec" facility. This bug has been fixed in containerd 1.6.6 and 1.5.13. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue. Users unable to upgrade should ensure that only trusted images and commands are used.

Weakness: CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-31030?

5 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/containerd/containerd. It affects 3 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | All versions | 1.5.13, 1.6.6 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | All versions | 1.5.13 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | All versions | 1.5.13 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | From 1.6.0 | 1.6.6 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | From 1.6.0 | 1.6.6 |
| `containerd` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 1.6.6-1.1 |

Products: Debian Debian Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Linuxfoundation Containerd.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-31030?

Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd to a fixed version for your release line: 1.5.13 or 1.6.6.

## Is CVE-2022-31030 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-31030 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-31030 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-31030 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 6 Jun 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-31030 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.13, 1.6.6
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.13
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 1.5.13
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.6
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected from 1.6.0; fixed in 1.6.6

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-2022-31030/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31030/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-31030
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-31030
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-31030

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31030/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.