CVE-2023-25153

OCI image importer memory exhaustion in github.com/containerd/containerd

Workarounds

Ensure that only trusted images are used and that only trusted users have permissions to import images.

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 fuzzing audit sponsored by CNCF.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

• Open an issue in containerd
• Email us at [email protected]

To report a security issue in containerd:

• Report a new vulnerability
• Email us at [email protected]

When importing an OCI image, there was no limit on the number of bytes read for certain files. A maliciously crafted image with a large file where a limit was not applied could cause a denial of service.

Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service. Typical impact: denial of service.

CVE-2023-25153 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, no privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (1.6.18, 1.5.18); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

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This bug has been fixed in containerd 1.6.18 and 1.5.18. Users should update to these versions to resolve the issue.

1. What is CVE-2023-25153? CVE-2023-25153 is a medium-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in github.com/containerd/containerd (go), affecting versions >= 1.6.0, < 1.6.18. It is fixed in 1.6.18, 1.5.18. Crafted input forces the application to consume excessive CPU, memory, or other resources, degrading or denying service.
2. How severe is CVE-2023-25153? CVE-2023-25153 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.
3. Which versions of github.com/containerd/containerd are affected by CVE-2023-25153? github.com/containerd/containerd (go) versions >= 1.6.0, < 1.6.18 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2023-25153? Yes. CVE-2023-25153 is fixed in 1.6.18, 1.5.18. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2023-25153 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2023-25153 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
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2023-25153 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.
7. How do I fix CVE-2023-25153?
   • Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd to 1.6.18 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/containerd/containerd to 1.5.18 or later

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/containerd/containerd