CVE-2024-41110

A security vulnerability has been detected in certain versions of Docker Engine, which could allow an attacker to bypass authorization plugins (AuthZ) under specific circumstances. The base likelihood of this being exploited is low. This advisory outlines the issue, identifies the affected versions, and provides remediation steps for impacted users.

Vulnerability details

• AuthZ bypass and privilege escalation: An attacker could exploit a bypass using an API request with Content-Length set to 0, causing the Docker daemon to forward the request without the body to the AuthZ plugin, which might approve the request incorrectly.
• Initial fix: The issue was fixed in Docker Engine v18.09.1 January 2019..
• Regression: The fix was not included in Docker Engine v19.03 or newer versions. This was identified in April 2024 and patches were released for the affected versions on July 23, 2024. The issue was assigned CVE-2024-41110.

Remediation steps

• If you are running an affected version, update to the most recent patched version.
• Mitigation if unable to update immediately:
  • Avoid using AuthZ plugins.
  • Restrict access to the Docker API to trusted parties, following the principle of least privilege.

References

• https://github.com/moby/moby/commit/fc274cd2ff4cf3b48c91697fb327dd1fb95588fb
• https://github.com/moby/moby/commit/a79fabbfe84117696a19671f4aa88b82d0f64fc1
• https://www.docker.com/blog/docker-security-advisory-docker-engine-authz-plugin/

Using a specially-crafted API request, an Engine API client could make the daemon forward the request or response to an authorization plugin without the body. In certain circumstances, the authorization plugin may allow a request which it would have otherwise denied if the body had been forwarded to it.

A security issue was discovered In 2018, where an attacker could bypass AuthZ plugins using a specially crafted API request. This could lead to unauthorized actions, including privilege escalation. Although this issue was fixed in Docker Engine v18.09.1 in January 2019, the fix was not carried forward to later major versions, resulting in a regression. Anyone who depends on authorization plugins that introspect the request and/or response body to make access control decisions is potentially impacted.

Docker EE v19.03.x and all versions of Mirantis Container Runtime are not vulnerable.

CVE-2024-41110 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, 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 (25.0.6, 23.0.15, 26.1.5, 27.1.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

• docker-ce v27.1.1 containes patches to fix the vulnerability.
• Patches have also been merged into the master, 19.0, 20.0, 23.0, 24.0, 25.0, 26.0, and 26.1 release branches.

1. What is CVE-2024-41110? CVE-2024-41110 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in github.com/docker/docker (go), affecting versions >= 24.0.0, < 25.0.6. It is fixed in 25.0.6, 23.0.15, 26.1.5, 27.1.1.
2. How severe is CVE-2024-41110? CVE-2024-41110 has a CVSS score of 9.9 (Critical). 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/docker/docker are affected by CVE-2024-41110? github.com/docker/docker (go) versions >= 24.0.0, < 25.0.6 is affected.
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2024-41110? Yes. CVE-2024-41110 is fixed in 25.0.6, 23.0.15, 26.1.5, 27.1.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2024-41110 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2024-41110 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-2024-41110 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-2024-41110?
   • Upgrade github.com/docker/docker to 25.0.6 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/docker/docker to 23.0.15 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/docker/docker to 26.1.5 or later
   • Upgrade github.com/docker/docker to 27.1.1 or later