Summary
containerd CRI plugin: Host memory exhaustion through ExecSync
Workarounds
Ensure that only trusted images and commands are used.
References
- Similar fix in cri-o's CRI implementation https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/security/advisories/GHSA-fcm2-6c3h-pg6j
Credits
The containerd project would like to thank David Korczynski and Adam Korczynski of ADA Logics for responsibly disclosing this issue in accordance with the containerd security policy during a security audit sponsored by CNCF and facilitated by OSTIF.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open an issue in containerd
- Email us at [email protected]
Impact
A bug was found in containerd's CRI implementation where programs inside a container can cause the containerd daemon to consume memory without bound during invocation of the ExecSync API. This can cause containerd to consume all available memory on the computer, denying service to other legitimate workloads. Kubernetes and crictl can both be configured to use containerd's CRI implementation; ExecSync may be used when running probes or when executing processes via an "exec" facility.
Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.
CVE-2022-31030 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.5.13, 1.6.6); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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This bug has been fixed in containerd 1.6.6 and 1.5.13. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-31030? CVE-2022-31030 is a medium-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in github.com/containerd/containerd (go), affecting versions < 1.5.13. It is fixed in 1.5.13, 1.6.6. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
- How severe is CVE-2022-31030? CVE-2022-31030 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of github.com/containerd/containerd are affected by CVE-2022-31030? github.com/containerd/containerd (go) versions < 1.5.13 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-31030? Yes. CVE-2022-31030 is fixed in 1.5.13, 1.6.6. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-31030 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-31030 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-31030 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-31030?
- Upgrade
github.com/containerd/containerdto 1.5.13 or later - Upgrade
github.com/containerd/containerdto 1.6.6 or later
- Upgrade