CVE-2026-48769 Incus has an arbitrary file write on its client due to trusted image hash
A malicious image server can trigger arbitrary file writes in the Incus client, leading to root command execution on the server.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-48769?
CVE-2026-48769 is a critical path traversal vulnerability in lxc incus, published on 21 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Incus is a system container and virtual machine manager. Prior to version 7.2.0, an arbitrary file write exists in the Incus client when a malicious image server returns a crafted `Incus-Image-Hash` header. This can lead to arbitrary command execution as root on the server. Version 7.2.0 patches the issue.
Weakness: CWE-20
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-48769?
5 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd, github.com/lxc/incus and github.com/lxc/incus/v6.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd Go | All versions | 7.2.0 |
github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd Go | All versions | 7.2.0 |
github.com/lxc/incus Go | All versions | None |
github.com/lxc/incus/v6 Go | All versions | None |
github.com/lxc/incus/v7 Go | All versions | 7.2.0 |
How do I fix CVE-2026-48769?
Upgrade github.com/lxc/incus/v7/cmd/incusd to 7.2.0 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2026-48769 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-48769 exists.
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-48769, GHSA-f6m5-xw2g-xc4x, GO-2026-5806, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-48769.