# CVE-2026-53492: containerd CRI checkpoint restore CDI annotation smuggling

> Attackers with pod creation permissions can bypass device plugin enforcement and inject arbitrary host mounts by smuggling CDI annotations during container checkpoint restoration.

- **Severity:** High 8.4 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:H/SI:H/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 1 Jul 2026
- **Updated:** 2 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-90170, BELL-CVE-2026-53492, CLEANSTART-2026-DX29618, CLEANSTART-2026-SP23014, CLEANSTART-2026-VP76604, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-53492, ECHO-e75c-8b04-5642, GHSA-33vj-92qq-66hc, GO-2026-5064, MINI-226h-w7gj-rcgc, MINI-27j9-jp5x-335x, MINI-285r-m6vm-jv97, MINI-28x4-f9mm-7cmr, MINI-29g8-q35g-448f, MINI-29rx-rp4m-8xqp, MINI-2c9p-3xhr-9cpf, MINI-2cx7-pf76-76mp, MINI-2g5r-4h6c-mv5c, MINI-2gm7-p8jp-cw3f, MINI-2xm9-mjmq-2wfm, MINI-32qr-7vxx-p43h, MINI-346r-x6g7-gj94, MINI-36cf-2p9j-jcr8, MINI-37hh-p3h8-rxm3, MINI-3884-4g6c-qv3g, MINI-38v5-3wrj-7m42, MINI-397j-6qc9-8w2c, MINI-39hf-qw6v-9w9v, MINI-3chc-h6xx-xh63, MINI-3chv-hf4g-w2wh, MINI-3cq8-f3wg-cfgq, MINI-3g7w-jrjq-p267, MINI-3hj2-3w7j-j5h5, MINI-3m78-hwrg-v27j, MINI-3mh3-2qx2-ppvj, MINI-3pvv-7x54-p49v, MINI-3vch-vm7x-hxhx, MINI-4293-jxqx-gfv4, MINI-4496-39jr-gmqq, MINI-44g8-3xvh-vfpc, MINI-4598-4qq2-9hvf, MINI-46g5-q74p-99w2, MINI-476h-33c2-9hwx, MINI-4crh-crpv-4q84, MINI-4f69-4j4c-h7xx, MINI-4fc7-c29q-8w5r, MINI-4gwx-xjv2-4255, MINI-4v4m-7qrq-wq3q, MINI-536f-8q7f-3qr7, MINI-54p3-grm6-mvpc, MINI-5755-5xhq-wcvv, MINI-579q-rcfp-wqcc, MINI-57v3-fhhf-xf7w, MINI-57w7-57ff-9jh7, MINI-587m-jpm3-hx83, MINI-59jj-cxm5-j77g, MINI-5c92-672w-93g7, MINI-5f55-vg49-4f9h, MINI-5h66-332r-9hwf, MINI-5hjp-mghm-7j6q, MINI-5prp-x9m4-g7pp, MINI-5w3v-4w8f-v753, MINI-5w5g-6hhj-3jw2, MINI-5w9c-7chv-24x4, MINI-5wwp-7mw7-v53r, MINI-5x9g-fxwj-7p5q, MINI-62h7-r2v2-j7fj, MINI-639p-9w8h-xc3v, MINI-63hw-gfcx-h95c, MINI-652h-r63r-382j, MINI-6645-rw6r-2532, MINI-69qq-rg8p-j24r, MINI-6cx5-pfmg-mc8x, MINI-6ff4-pgv4-fxrw, MINI-6fq6-m26c-xh7f, MINI-6r68-rqqq-x9v8, MINI-6wxj-x3hf-x92j, MINI-72xv-96xv-mj7g, MINI-734w-4qgj-r24j, MINI-73mm-hpp4-4hgr, MINI-7862-fc3p-mv2j, MINI-7ffc-7wcj-3fgf, MINI-7h2p-v2hg-x2vc, MINI-7m5f-qp7r-hv7m, MINI-7rff-x5g4-5g9q, MINI-7rmh-7m8g-4p6j, MINI-7vp8-27w4-v833, MINI-7wc7-3qr9-59q2, MINI-7wj4-phfq-w488, MINI-7wmg-95ph-wrfv, MINI-7xx8-3qm5-f2rx, MINI-823f-7c2r-3j4h, MINI-84rc-j298-64q3, MINI-8cjh-m79m-qmr4, MINI-8ff7-pwpc-33jh, MINI-8ff9-gj63-f768, MINI-8mqg-x28r-x6j9, MINI-8pj5-mjwm-4cx4, MINI-926r-9pjm-9999, MINI-93vv-f3mx-9jc9, MINI-95pq-p758-rqxp, MINI-967w-7xfr-cpwp, MINI-97hg-278q-pr5r, MINI-98hh-qw52-mv53, MINI-99jh-r95h-5rc4, MINI-9fhf-qhwr-62cg, MINI-9ghp-wvgc-wpm4, MINI-9h29-35h7-gpv7, MINI-9jrx-hr2g-f7rw, MINI-9pw6-2xhq-fp64, MINI-9r7m-mw9f-g99h, MINI-9rx3-pfpx-c439, MINI-9vrw-j52v-vmwp, MINI-9xjj-xxh4-7gqq, MINI-c27q-f958-v72p, MINI-c36v-xq37-rm9q, MINI-c392-332p-xh5m, MINI-c5f7-x2qm-ggff, MINI-c6m9-2hgq-c59j, MINI-c6p5-27hm-wgxw, MINI-c7gx-jq8p-q27v, MINI-cc3c-gw3q-phmp, MINI-cc3r-3j22-qqfr, MINI-ccqr-9qpp-6m28, MINI-cf6v-5f23-rxcw, MINI-cm6p-m5pg-69cm, MINI-cq66-6mjq-pp49, MINI-cq6r-x7rf-q8pj, MINI-crj7-25j4-mpr9, MINI-cvpr-r675-vchr, MINI-f3wg-jrg6-8q77, MINI-f697-6m9v-3p47, MINI-f7mj-f74g-q6h8, MINI-f997-q2mh-6rmp, MINI-fc2m-2xxc-xg42, MINI-fcxc-fxxf-m6v5, MINI-fg65-3vxc-29j7, MINI-fgph-23rq-ww3p, MINI-fh39-vq43-jch9, MINI-fh8p-phg9-cq9r, MINI-fj33-c3jr-2qcr, MINI-fjqw-xg7g-cf63, MINI-fmmp-fvmw-x6cg, MINI-fmq7-9r44-r984, MINI-fr34-2wr8-jpfh, MINI-g4rg-2xv9-vmhj, MINI-g5v5-j8pq-v68c, MINI-g7cf-rjfx-rfv6, MINI-gcc2-23jj-377v, MINI-gg4c-m8qr-p7gc, MINI-gg9x-h68m-w253, MINI-ggwc-jmjv-4w84, MINI-ggwf-2q6x-x93f, MINI-gh2w-rm9q-5gxx, MINI-gp8p-3jjx-cxrm, MINI-grrw-wj5p-m3cr, MINI-gw4c-3gpw-g24x, MINI-gwfc-h5vv-86m7, MINI-gwg4-q9vp-fw2f, MINI-h4f7-ch6p-c5pj, MINI-h4fp-2q4r-wg2f, MINI-h4qx-3m9m-6mv4, MINI-h5gg-m29g-rr7g, MINI-h5m3-7cff-5f86, MINI-h6hp-wmg9-9qwh, MINI-h76v-88qw-8j7c, MINI-h7cc-xhr9-3wxf, MINI-h7g4-8m53-hrvq, MINI-hfv4-78mf-767q, MINI-hgrm-7gcq-7q8m, MINI-hhgh-48g9-6v7p, MINI-hmq4-86vc-7vx3, MINI-hqvf-mh6q-8wrw, MINI-hr66-pm98-mw47, MINI-hrjq-2mmq-j6cr, MINI-hv72-cj83-vwxm, MINI-hw4h-ph3p-54wj, MINI-j265-h8v4-9xvc, MINI-j37m-x73f-v8qv, MINI-j3hc-cjc3-xm77, MINI-j433-845c-gmrc, MINI-j694-cfp2-2pp9, MINI-j77x-h9gc-5cg8, MINI-j8ww-f2r3-cv5m, MINI-j965-96fw-6fcg, MINI-jf74-crr3-wm8m, MINI-jg4p-mfw4-g2mr, MINI-jjhh-wqvv-rjx2, MINI-jjv9-gwc8-w8f8, MINI-jm5r-8g3g-3675, MINI-jx9q-wh2q-m7q9, MINI-m25q-vrgh-gm9p, MINI-m2gx-6ccf-6mmq, MINI-m329-8732-cmhh, MINI-m4xr-r3x6-gmh6, MINI-m528-x566-rr83, MINI-m5h5-x8vh-96cx, MINI-m677-3pfq-xgf2, MINI-m75f-m5qw-3jhx, MINI-m827-wvrm-8ggg, MINI-m8hq-wh27-6h7f, MINI-m9rw-gc7g-36x6, MINI-m9ww-rm3w-rp62, MINI-mgfx-f7gm-g5q3, MINI-mh3q-frjc-qgv9, MINI-mx4m-f6rx-j8qq, MINI-p2fh-xqpm-63q8, MINI-p38m-j25p-v39c, MINI-p57j-p76r-gmmr, MINI-p86m-r62h-f8c3, MINI-p8v4-436h-xxgh, MINI-pfxj-xr9r-q2v8, MINI-pmmp-62f3-rqw5, MINI-pmxh-46vv-744v, MINI-pp27-rhhf-7866, MINI-pq2q-79r9-g63p, MINI-pqpg-784q-3f9q, MINI-prg3-329p-p6c3, MINI-pvmm-66vw-qp9j, MINI-q332-4rm7-3xmq, MINI-q7x3-j9m8-2q8c, MINI-q94x-fhwj-vvmw, MINI-q9vh-q3rp-wwj3, MINI-qffx-qxvg-chfm, MINI-qh3h-387f-72cj, MINI-qx63-553h-5hqm, MINI-r3qj-8c77-mx5w, MINI-r4jx-h2g7-w4xh, MINI-r558-7q46-458m, MINI-r599-5c43-g77f, MINI-r64p-57cr-9xm6, MINI-r85r-5prr-452r, MINI-r88r-7m75-p2j9, MINI-rc2h-q7wx-fvh9, MINI-rccw-9385-v7gp, MINI-rcmp-87rc-qw78, MINI-rf66-cj3j-55m9, MINI-rf7h-wrp3-j25j, MINI-rf9x-w5j5-hgff, MINI-rmqm-7hfr-rwmr, MINI-rqm7-jh86-h223, MINI-v3gh-26c6-rj2h, MINI-v4jx-2p3c-5hfh, MINI-v5g9-cfqc-8gww, MINI-v5hg-pp24-3p8p, MINI-v6w5-5jmh-hf9v, MINI-vhh8-f98x-88h3, MINI-vqcv-mjv6-c494, MINI-vwj8-9xhj-vxxx, MINI-w2xg-87pp-2qvf, MINI-w44h-w7j6-3h4x, MINI-w477-cj3g-cg8x, MINI-w486-f97m-pgmm, MINI-w6gw-2r6x-xph6, MINI-w8cr-vp27-278v, MINI-w9v5-hc4r-p6p7, MINI-wfpp-5r77-j739, MINI-wgww-3m69-xq34, MINI-wj6x-7fr3-v64r, MINI-wr4m-4mmm-7r24, MINI-ww84-rx2j-4qmp, MINI-wwcv-26r6-35q5, MINI-x3h3-2653-qqq2, MINI-x46h-jfjx-g9mh, MINI-x6v4-8xfv-mmxv, MINI-x6x7-qc66-cxh6, MINI-x7h7-vr92-f24j, MINI-xf9m-mqqq-78vm, MINI-xhrh-p232-fw6w, MINI-xxmr-w2v5-pjq8, ROOT-APP-GOBINARY-CVE-2026-53492

## What is CVE-2026-53492?

CVE-2026-53492 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in containerd, published on 1 Jul 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

containerd is an open-source container runtime. In Versions prior to 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9, the CRI implementation improperly trusts Container Device Interface (CDI) annotations found within untrusted checkpoint image metadata during container restoration. When restoring a container from a checkpoint, containerd preserves CDI-related annotations from the checkpoint archive rather than relying solely on the pod's create-time specification. This allows a user with pod creation permissions to bypass standard Kubernetes resource allocation and device plugin enforcement, injecting arbitrary CDI edits (such as device nodes and host mounts) into the restored container. Successful exploitation requires that the node has CDI enabled and contains a matching host CDI specification for the requested device; environments where CDI is disabled or lacking sensitive device specifications are not affected. This issue has been fixed in versions 2.3.2, 2.2.5 and 2.1.9.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization), CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-53492?

8 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 and github.com/containerd/containerd. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd/v2` | Go | From 2.1.0 | 2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd/v2` | Go | From 2.1.0 | 2.1.9 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd/v2` | Go | From 2.1.0 | 2.1.9 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd/v2` | Go | From 2.2.0 | 2.2.5 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd/v2` | Go | From 2.2.0 | 2.2.5 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd/v2` | Go | From 2.3.0 | 2.3.2 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd/v2` | Go | From 2.3.0 | 2.3.2 |
| `github.com/containerd/containerd` | Go | All versions | None |

Products: Linuxfoundation Containerd.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-53492?

Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 to a fixed version for your release line: 2.1.9, 2.2.5 or 2.3.2.

## Is CVE-2026-53492 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53492 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-2026-53489](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)
- [CVE-2024-25621](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-25621/): containerd affected by a local privilege escalation via wide permissions on CRI directory (high 7.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-53492 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-53492 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in containerd, published on 1 Jul 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-53492 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): affected from 2.1.0; fixed in 2.1.9, 2.2.5, 2.3.2
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): affected from 2.1.0; fixed in 2.1.9
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): affected from 2.1.0; fixed in 2.1.9
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): affected from 2.2.0; fixed in 2.2.5
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): affected from 2.2.0; fixed in 2.2.5
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): affected from 2.3.0; fixed in 2.3.2
- github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 (Go): affected from 2.3.0; fixed in 2.3.2
- github.com/containerd/containerd (Go): affected all versions; no fix listed

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-2026-53492/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53492/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-53492
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-53492
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-53492

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53492/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.