CVE-2026-35172 Distribution has stale blob access resurrection via repo-scoped redis descriptor cache invalidation
Attackers can regain read access to deleted blobs in one repository by exploiting stale cache entries in another, requiring specific Redis and delete configurations.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-35172?
CVE-2026-35172 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in distribution, published on 6 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Distribution is a toolkit to pack, ship, store, and deliver container content. Prior to 3.1.0, distribution can restore read access in repo a after an explicit delete when storage.cache.blobdescriptor: redis and storage.delete.enabled: true are both enabled. The delete path clears the shared digest descriptor but leaves stale repo-scoped membership behind, so a later Stat or Get from repo b repopulates the shared descriptor and makes the deleted blob readable from repo a again. This vulnerability is fixed in 3.1.0.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-35172?
7 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/distribution/distribution, distribution and github.com/distribution/distribution/v3. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/distribution/distribution Go | All versions | None |
github.com/distribution/distribution Go | All versions to 2.8.3 | None |
github.com/distribution/distribution Go | All versions to 2.8.3 | None |
distribution Bitnami | All versions | 3.1.0 |
github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 Go | All versions | 3.1.0 |
github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 Go | All versions | 3.1.0 |
1 more packages
github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 Go | All versions | 3.1.0 |
Products include Distribution Distribution.
How do I fix CVE-2026-35172?
Upgrade to a fixed version.
Upgrade, and check permissions on every request on the server, not only in the interface. More about Missing authorization.
Is CVE-2026-35172 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-35172 exists.
Other vulnerabilities in distribution
Sources
Also known as BIT-distribution-2026-35172, CLEANSTART-2026-HS45258, CLEANSTART-2026-TN85120, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-35172, GHSA-f2g3-hh2r-cwgc, GO-2026-4942 and 26 more.