# CVE-2026-5843: Docker Model Runner container-to-host code execution via MLX-LM model_file importlib loading

> Attackers can execute arbitrary code on the Docker host by tricking containers into loading malicious Python files via the MLX-LM backend.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA: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:** No
- **Published:** 22 May 2026
- **Updated:** 27 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9m9w-53g9-47c4

## What is CVE-2026-5843?

CVE-2026-5843 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Docker Desktop, published on 22 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The MLX inference backend in Docker Model Runner on macOS uses the MLX-LM library, which unconditionally imports and executes arbitrary Python files from model directories via the model_file configuration field in config.json. When a model's config.json specifies a model_file pointing to a Python file, MLX-LM uses importlib to load and execute it with no trust_remote_code gate or equivalent safety check. The MLX backend runs without sandboxing, resulting in arbitrary code execution on the Docker host as the Docker Desktop user.

Any container on the Docker network can trigger this by calling the model-runner.docker.internal API to pull a malicious model from an attacker-controlled OCI registry and request inference.

Weakness: CWE-829 (Inclusion of Functionality from Untrusted Control Sphere)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-5843?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Docker Docker Desktop.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-5843?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-5843 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-5843 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-5843 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Docker Container Escape POC via mlx-metal importlib (github_poc): https://github.com/davidrxchester/CVE-2026-5843

## Other vulnerabilities in Docker Desktop

- [CVE-2026-5817](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5817/): Docker Model Runner container-to-host code execution via unsandboxed trust_remote_code in Python inference backends (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-6406](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-6406/): Docker Desktop Enhanced Container Isolation bypass via --use-api-socket CLI flag (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-44719](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-44719/): Missing authorization in n/a (high 8.4)
- [CVE-2023-0625](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-0625/): Docker Desktop before 4.12.0 is vulnerable to RCE via a crafted extension description or changelog (high 8.0)
- [CVE-2023-0626](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-0626/): Docker Desktop before 4.12.0 is vulnerable to RCE via query parameters in message-box route (high 8.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-5843 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-5843 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Docker Desktop, published on 22 May 2026. 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-2026-5843 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Docker Desktop. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2026-5843/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5843/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-5843
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-5843
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-5843

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5843/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.