CVE-2026-85747 Distribution: Client `manifests.Get()` does not verify returned content against requested digest
Attackers can substitute malicious container manifests during pull operations by bypassing digest verification, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2026-85747?
CVE-2026-85747 is a medium-severity vulnerability in distribution, published on 13 Oct 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 3.1.2, registry/client.(*manifests).Get() reads a manifest returned for a digest-pinned request and passes it to distribution.UnmarshalManifest without hashing the body against the requested digest, allowing a malicious or intercepted registry response to substitute attacker-chosen manifest content even when Docker-Content-Digest claims the requested value. The bundled pull-through proxy in registry/proxy/proxymanifeststore.go can cache and re-serve the substituted manifest. This issue is fixed in version 3.1.2.
Weakness: CWE-354
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-85747?
5 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/distribution/distribution/v3, distribution and github.com/docker/distribution.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 Go | All versions | 3.1.2 |
github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 Go | All versions | 3.1.2 |
distribution Bitnami | All versions | 3.1.2 |
github.com/docker/distribution Go | All versions to 2.8.3 | None |
github.com/docker/distribution Go | All versions to 2.8.3 | None |
How do I fix CVE-2026-85747?
Upgrade github.com/distribution/distribution/v3 to 3.1.2 or later.
Is CVE-2026-85747 being exploited?
It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-85747 exists.
Sources
Also known as BIT-distribution-2026-85747, DEBIAN-CVE-2026-85747, ECHO-45b0-46b6-bf0d, GHSA-685w-q87j-wqw3, MINI-2226-373f-w392, MINI-24hm-7m9c-x259 and 162 more.